The upcoming Navachab Half Marathon will not just be another sports event but will significantly help bolster economic activities in the town, Karibib constituency councillor Petrus Ntoni has said.
The eighth edition of the Navachab Half Marathon was launched in Windhoek yesterday and organisers announced that the ever-growing annual event will take place in the town of Karibib on 17 September.
Speaking at the launch, Ntoni hailed the importance of staging the competition at the town, saying the event comes with many benefits for the local entrepreneurs and also provides a good platform for start-up businesses to showcase their various products.
“We are very delighted to have been selected as the town that will host this very important event this year. We are ready to host everyone in our town and rest assured, we will provide all with the best hospitality. Such competitions are very important as they promote sport and healthy living for many individuals but most importantly, they provide big opportunities for the local economies. For us as a town, this will be a great opportunity to capitalise on boosting the economy of the town, as sales are expected to go up and our small SMEs stand a chance of making some profit,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the principal sponsor Navachab Gold Mine, McLyn Kasale said they are happy to be part of the competition, which continues to attract the country’s top athletes and present some of the best winning prizes.
“After two years of inactivity, the Navachab Half Marathon is finally returning and we are all excited. We are looking forward to hosting the event to become much bigger and better this year and that more prizes will be up for grabs for the various winners,” he said.
Race organiser and Erongo regional sports officer Berthold Karumendu said they are happy to make a return after two years of absence due to the pandemic.
“We have sent out invitations to all 14 regions of the country. That means we should expect top competition from top runners coming from across the country. We will have all categories from 50 plus, veteran, senior and juniors. We are inviting everyone to come and participate.”
- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na