2013-10-18Staff Report 2 WINDHOEK - The technical cooperation agreement between the Namibian Basketball Federation, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture in basketball came to an end last month, exactly four years after its commencement in October 2009. To mark the end of this long-term project, an official hand over of basketball equipment took place earlier this week at the Basketball Artists School in Katutura. In attendance were Dr Vetumbuavi Veii, acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, George Simataa, President of the Namibian Basketball Federation (NBF), Frank Albin, project expert and German Ambassador to Namibia, Onno Hückmann. Ambassador Hückmann praised the success of the project and applauded German basketball expert Frank Albin, for his tireless work over the years. As a result of the project, the number of primary school children playing basketball increased from a mere 200 to 1000, while the number of teachers and trainers also shot up from about 20 to 100. The quality of training and the federation’s structures are of a more solid nature currently than they were at the beginning of this project. Moreover, a number of basketball courts were constructed in numerous locations, while the regions were equipped with materials and hosted several tournaments that led to the installment of regular competitions. The basketball equipment donated at the event is valued at roughly N$250 000 and includes 500 basketballs, electronic score boards, office equipment, cones, whistles, stop watches, rims and backboards among a variety of donated equipment. In August this year, 5 girls from the Basketball Artists School formed part of the Namibian Under-7 squad, which won a silver medal at the Confederation of School Sport Associations of Southern Africa (COSSASA) Games. By Staff Reporter 2013-10-18Staff Report 2
