Jacobina Uushona has carried the Namibian flag on the basketball court and represented the nation in global sports administration, becoming the country’s first graduate of the Dream Together Master (DTM) programme and helping reshape the future of sport at home and beyond.

The DTM Programme is a global graduate initiative designed to nurture future leaders in sports management. It brings together talented individuals from around the world to foster international cooperation and sustainable development through sport. 

The programme is offered by Seoul National University and is supported by the Korean ministry of culture, sports and tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. Uushona (26) was recently capped in Seoul, South Korea, after completing a 17-month Master’s degree in Global Sports Management at Seoul National University.

Her biggest wish, is for young Namibians to be intentional, place themselves in the right places, and work towards achieving their dreams.

“Having been on the national team before, I understood the nature of carrying the country’s colours on my back. This was merely a bigger stage, however, not as an athlete, but as an administrator, a full circle moment for me,” she said yesterday in an interview with Youth Corner.

“For the most part, as a Namibian, I only ever saw the concept of succeeding at sports, being on the field of play. Being at DTM really allowed me to see internationalisation of sports as something way bigger than just athletes competing away from home,” she added.

She said there are many untapped opportunities to partner with international bodies and even individuals, and that internationalisation can be achieved in just one conversation.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be you moving abroad; it can be you, bringing new sporting culture to the country you originally are from and boosting your own sector with that new capacity,” stated the Windhoek-born and raised sports enthusiast.

Uushona appreciates that Namibia is riding the female empowerment wave and hopes it can continue to do so, enabling more women to take up spaces that are primarily male-dominated.

Her academic journey covered 30 class modules, a group mini-thesis project, Korean language as an extra class, and her own thesis proposal, defence, and submission, titled “Exploring the Impact of Fitness Influencers on Female Sport Participation in Namibia.”

“Something I would also love people to take away from the study is the concept of sport for all. We should look at creating sports, not just for the sake of competition, but for the overall health and to see how we can keep women post adolescence active in community-based sports,” she explained.

Uushona indicated that there is a need for open conversation about sports, not just for children and professional athletes, but for everyone else as well.

She has begun her professional journey as an intern at the Korea Anti-Doping Agency in Seoul, working in the international relations department, and added that after her tenure, she plans to return to Namibia to give back to the same people and communities that supported her, while further establishing herself professionally.

-psiririka@nepc.com.na