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Home / MTC mulls putting more resources into horseracing
MTC mulls putting more resources into horseracing
2017-09-14Staff Report 2 Staff Reporter Okakarara-The first-ever MTC-sponsored Okakarara Horse Racing Event, which took place on the fringes of the recent Okakarara Trade Fair, was a resounding success. Judging from the attendance of local sport lovers and the overall manner in which the race was received, MTC’s management has hinted that there ia a possibility of taking the horse racing sport under its sponsorship wing. Over 5,000 fans flocked to the Okakarara horseracing event, which took place on Saturday, September 9. It was wholly supported by the telecommunications giant, MTC, to the tune of N$90,000, of which N$55,000 was monetary and N$35,000 in-kind donations towards sporting equipment for jockeys and the umpires. MTC sponsorship and promotions manager Joseph Mundjindi said: “MTC continues its commitment to give back to the community through its corporate social responsibility programme. We have noticed that corporate support for sports have for the large part only been concentrated within urban areas, thus leaving the peri-rural areas neglected.” According to Mundjindi, this practise if not changed will lead to skewed sport development, which cannot augur well for Namibia as a sporting nation, as it has the potential to deny deserving youth an opportunity to excel. Executive member of the Namibia Horse Racing Association (NHRA) Benjamin Itandua Kasuto said: “Horseracing as a sport code has been underfunded in the past and the sponsorship from MTC is invaluable and highly appreciated.” MTC has been part of the Okakarara Trade Fair since its inception and the horse-racing event this year was added as an additional fun element to the fair and has definitely added value to the overall show.“We applaud the organisers for adding this famous sport event within the proceeding of the Okakarara Trade Fair. We concur that horseracing is one of the popular sports and is enjoyed by the majority of Namibians,” Mundjindi remarked. 2017-09-14Staff Report 2
