NamPower’s chief operation officer Fritz Jacobs has hailed the blossoming relationship between them and Disability Sport Namibia (DSN), saying it centred around mutual respect, individual growth and powering the athletes’ dreams to reach greater heights.
Jacobs made these remarks during yesterday’s press conference in the capital, where NamPower presented monetary rewards to para-athletes that won medals at last year’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
He said their relationship with DSN and by extension, the Namibia Paralympics Committee (NPC), has for the past 10 years given birth to an avalanche of highly-talented athletes that have gone on to conquer the international stage.
The partnership, Jacobs said, has created a conducive environment for the athletes to train and properly chase their dreams without having to worry about much.
“Through the relationship we have built with DSN over the past 10 years, NamPower is proud to continuously witness the discipline, consistency, improvement and focus displayed by the paralympians. It is because of this respect and appreciation that NamPower continues to support its partnership with DSN to realise the dreams and aspirations of these athletes. This is particularly to fund a sport discipline that is not given fully needed financial support,” he said.
The national power utility company yesterday walked the talk when it rewarded sprinter Ananias Shikongo with N$150 000 for winning silver at the games, and fellow sprinter Johannes Nambala N$100 000 for winning bronze.
Their coaches Letu Hamhola and Michael Hamukwaya both received N$30 000 each for guiding the sprint stars to podium places, while female runner Lahja Ishitile was showered with praise and subsequently rewarded with an amount of N$25 000 for her courageous performance at the global games.
Shikongo’s guide Sem Shimanda was also rewarded with N$150 000, Ishitile’s guide Even Tjiviju and another guide Sydney Kamuaruuma both received N$ 25 000 each.
Away from the customary practice of paying lump sums to recipients, it was announced that the reward monies will be paid out in monthly instalments for a period of two years.
Jacobs explained that the monthly payments will assist the athletes to focus more on their core goal which is training and winning more medals, rather than worrying about their day-to-day necessities.
“We believe that this method will give athletes some peace of mind, knowing that over the next two years they will have fixed monthly amounts to assist them with their day-to-day needs and help focus on their talents,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nambala and Shikongo thanked NamPower for monetary rewards and promised that they will productively use the money.
“This reward is a motivation for us as athletes, this will help and motivate us to work extra hard. I want to thank the coaches, who always push us to work harder and do better. We will now turn our focus to upcoming events such as the Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Paralympic Games.” - mkambukwe@nepc.com.na