Zebaldt Ngaruka
KARIBIB – The director of sport development in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, Jo-Ann Manuel, has called on those running sports in the country to safeguard corporate partnerships.
She made these remarks during the 10th edition of the QKR Namibia Navachab half-marathon, held in the town of Karibib in the Erongo region on Saturday.
During the award ceremony, she expressed that the funding her ministry receives from the treasury for sports development is insufficient, as the ministry gets only 1% of the government budget for promoting sports.
“The support from the corporate world is crucial for promoting sports, as government funding, alone, is not enough. It’s important to acknowledge the dedication of sports officer, Berthold Karumendu, who has kept the partnership with Navachab to run this half-marathon for the past 10 years. I commend him for maintaining this sponsorship,” she said.
The Navachab half-marathon started from humble beginnings, and has come a long way.
“It is important to have smart partnerships like this one that bring a lot of benefits to the town of Karibib as well as its residents and businesses. If every sport official and administrator maintained such strong partnerships with sponsors, it would lead to sufficient resources for developing sports in the country,” she stated.
Manuel said sports should be used to expedite national development in the country.
Speaking at the same occasion, chief administrator of the Namibia Sports Commission Freddy Mwiya said sports has the power to change the world and unite communities.
“This is the third time I am attending the Navachab half-marathon, and I am happy to see that Navachab has remained a sponsor of the event,” he said.
Mwiya added that it is important to see the country’s elite athletes competing at this event, as it motivates and uplifts young and upcoming athletes.
This year’s event increased its prize money in different categories.
The winners of the overall male and female 21.1-kilometre categories each received N$20 000, up from the previous N$10 000.
Overall, the sponsor allocated N$700 000 for prize monies and event logistics. -Nampa