2006-02-24Staff Report 2 "By Kuvee Kangueehi WINDHOEK Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) through its Pepsi brand will continue its sponsorship of the Pepsi Indoor Hockey Tournament. NBL's sponsorship manager, Zebald Rijatua, handed over a cheque of N$10 000 to the organizer of the tournament, Erwin Handura, at the Namibia Sport Commission on Tuesday. Rijatua at the occasion said: ""Pepsi is happy to once again be the main sponsor of this prestigious tournament. Hockey is one of the best managed and developed sport codes in the country. This is evident through the recognition they continue to receive, as witnessed during the 2005 Namibia Sport Awards, where the code received prizes."" Receiving the cheque, Handura said: ""Hockey has grown as a sport over the years and Pepsi has been one of the most important partners to us."" Pepsi is sponsoring this tournament for the ninth consecutive year. The tournament is scheduled for this coming Saturday, 25 February at the University of Namibia Hall. Various men and women's teams will participate in the Premier, First League and Second League categories. Still at the NSC, there is still uncertainty whether paralympians Ruben Soroseb and Simpson Gariseb will join the rest of the national team to represent Namibia at the Commonwealth Games. The NSC Chief administrator Rusten Mogane said the issue is still under discussion. Nampa reports that according to the president of the Namibian Sports Federation for People with Disabilities (NSFPD) Tsire Tsauseb, the two might still be taken up in the team if the federation submits their latest competition results to the NNOC office. Soroseb scooped gold in the 82 to 90kg division when he managed to lift 150 kilograms, while Gariseb sprinted to gold medals in the 100m and 400m race and won silver in the 200m race at the 2005 South African Championship. Soroseb also ended 4th out of 18 countries in powerlifting at the 2004 Parlaympics in Greece, while Gariseb ended 5th out of 15 countries in the 200m dash. Asked why they were left out of the initial national team, Tsuaseb said they were informed by the NNOC through a letter on 25 January that the athletes were not Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD), which is a requirement for participation in the Commonwealth Games. EAD means such athletes could easily compete with able-bodied persons given the chance. During a meeting on Tuesday between Tsauseb and the Namibia Sports Commission, it came to light that these athletes were indeed EAD, he said. Tsauseb was then requested to submit proof of their latest competition results. NNOC President Agnes Tjongarero told Nampa on Tuesday that pending the requested information, the NNOC would get accreditation for the two athletes. Two other athletes were initially nominated for the team but were dropped because of a lack of international experience. In the mean time, the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games will feature a fully-integrated competition for Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD). Two hundred EAD competitors will go for gold in 12 events across four different sports - aquatics, athletics (track and field), table tennis and powerlifting - and the medals won will be counted in the overall total for the Games. - Additional reporting Nampa" 2006-02-24Staff Report 2
