Chief administrator of the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), Freddy Mwiya, says not only do the MTC Namibia Youth Games provide an opportunity to the country’s youth to showcase their talents, but the games also play an important role of bridging the gap between schools sport and mainstream competition.
Touching on the importance and outlining the purpose of the youth games, Mwiya believes that the MTC Namibia Youth Games have since their inception in 2018 provided thousands of Namibian youngsters with a rare platform to represent their regions and rediscover themselves on a much bigger and competitive platform such as the youth games which brings athletes from all 14 regions together.
But not only have the games assisted in providing a platform, but they have now taken a much prominent role of closing the gap between schools sport and the ever growing mainstream sporting events.
“In the past, we had a serious problem of finding a perfect formula between schools sport and mainstream competitions but since the start of the youth games in 2018, we have managed to capture talents at school level and provide them with a much elevated platform where they can further enhance and showcase their talents. This is why we call our youth games the “mini Olympics”, because it serves as the biggest platform where all those regional athletes come together to compete for the highest honours at national level. For this year’s second edition, especially with the arrival of MTC as the main sponsor, the games will be bigger and better as competition in all areas will be elevated,” said an enthusiastic Mwiya.
For this year, the second edition of the MTC Namibia Youth Games is expected to attract an estimated 1 092 athletes and close to 170 coaches and officials from all regions. The games, which take place at Rietfontein in the Otjozondjupa region between 16-18 December, will feature sport codes such as football, netball, volleyball, basketball, boxing, tennis, athletics, and para-sport.
After the conclusion of the games, a team will be selected to represent Namibia at the African Union Sport Councils (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games in December 2021 in Lesotho.
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na