The Namibia Deaf Sports Federation (NDSF) is gearing up to participate in the upcoming Southern African Development Community Deaf Games.

The games are to be held in Eswatini from 28 August to 3 September 2023.

Hosted by the Eswatini Deaf Sports Federation, this tournament will bring together deaf teams from seven other countries, namely Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

To ensure a competitive team, the NDSF recently organised a tournament in Otjiwarongo to select the strongest players who will represent Namibia. According to Abner Sheya, the president of NDSF and one of the organisers, the team will consist of 18 players and five officials.

“We have confidence in our team because we already participated in the same event last year and emerged victorious,” Sheya explained. However, this year, only the soccer team will be participating, unlike last year when both the soccer and netball teams represented Namibia.

The players have been chosen from seven active sports clubs across the country. Sheya expressed the federation’s determination to win the trophy for the second consecutive time after their previous success.

“Our team will depart on August 25, and we are excited to showcase our talent and represent our country. We hope to secure air tickets to ensure our athletes are physically ready for the games,” Sheya said, emphasising the importance of financial support to cover the expenses of participating in international games. While disability sports in Namibia receive sponsorship from NamPower, additional assistance from Namibia’s corporate community, both financially and in kind, would be greatly appreciated, added Sheya.