THE International Sport Symposium held on the 17th and 18th of August at the Dome in Swakopmund has been hailed as a resounding success, following a new course for the enhancement of sporting infrastructure in towns across Namibia.
The symposium, organised by regional and town councils, saw the gathering of at least 34 representatives from different towns, including Ondangwa, Helao Nafidi, Windhoek Municipality, Arandis, Gobabis, Otjiwarongo, Otavi, Okahandja, Omuthiya, and Swakopmund, among others, as well as key stakeholders from village councils, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment on Sport Tourism, the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), sports clubs, and civil organisations.
The two-day event resonated with the urgency and importance of bolstering the sporting infrastructure in Namibian towns. Discussions spun around the pressing need to create conducive environments for sports activities and the broader implications of these initiatives for national development.
According to Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) Chief Administrator Freddy Mwiya, one of the primary reasons for the symposium was the call for both regional councils and town councils to invest in developing state-of-the-art sports facilities.
These facilities are envisaged not only as breeding grounds for local sporting talent but also as magnets for sports tourism. The participants deliberated extensively on the potential economic and social benefits that towns can reap by hosting national and international sporting events.
“We believe that by enhancing our sport facilities, we can lay the groundwork for attracting a diverse array of sport events, both on a national and international scale, to various towns,” emphasised Mwiya. He further noted, “This symposium has been a pivotal moment, as it underscores the concerted efforts of multiple stakeholders towards the common goal of promoting sports and tourism in Namibia,” he said.
Also speaking to this publication, project coordinator Zandréa Strauss expressed satisfaction, saying the event lived up to the standard. “It was a great engagement that was fruitful. I just hope everyone will take lessons from the engagement and run with it in their specific towns and villages,” she said.
- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na