OSHIVELO – The Deputy Director of Marginalised Communities in the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare, Rebekka Namwandi, has called on the Namibia Football Association (NFA) and Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) to support the Dr. Libertine Amathila Sports Tournament.
The event will take place in Kavango East from 10 to 17 December 2023. It promotes and coordinates sports activities for marginalised communities.
She made the call in an interview with Nampa this week, where she said she tried reaching out to these entities last year, but they did not provide the support she was seeking.
“We are appealing to all stakeholders who are willing to come on board and support, whether it is in cash or kind,” said Namwandi.
She said they face numerous challenges in transporting players from their villages to the event and providing food, football boots, and kits as most of their players play barefoot.
“We face a lot of challenges in serving our participants over a week as funds are not on our side and we need money to procure food, buy medals for the winners, and cash prizes,” she said.
She also called on established football teams in all the leagues to attend the event and scout for talent.
The tournament hosts 10 regional teams with over 365 male participants. “The regional teams that take part in the tournament are from Oshikoto, Kavango East and West, Ohangwena, Oshana, Omusati, Kunene, Zambezi, and Otjozondjupa,” Namwandi said.
The Dr. Libertine Amathila Sports Tournament was first hosted in 2014. “It also acts as a cultural exchange platform, exposing and developing talent amongst the youth from these community groups, so we are really appealing to everyone to come and support the tournament,” Namwandi said.
Contacted for comment, NSC Chief Administrator Freddy Mwiya said they faced staffing challenges last year and encountered cost implications as they did not have a budget allocated for such events. He, however, said they hope to be able to attend this year.
Meanwhile, the NFA indicated that they had not received an invitation to the tournament. - Nampa