Maurice Kambukwe
Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service Erastus Uutoni applauded the Namibia Basketball Federation (NBF) for the work done in developing basketball over the years, but however challenged the federation to redouble its efforts by taking basketball to all corners of the country.
Uutoni made this remarks during the 10th anniversary celebration of Basketball Artists School (BAS) held at the Katutura complex over the weekend.
The minister said the local basketball fraternity should continue working together for the developing of the game in all 14 regions of Namibia, saying more needs to be done in the rural areas as many young Namibians are still denied opportunities to showcase their talents.
“The Namibian government through the sports ministry remains committed to the development of sport in the country. I urge you to always work together as a team to develop basketball by reaching out to all 14 regions of this country. It is also my wish that the BAS will partake in this year’s second edition of the Namibia Annual Sport Expo, in order to showcase the positive impact this safe haven makes in the lives of our young people. Again, it is also my wish that this school will feature in our Sports Museum that is in its final stages to be established. Therefore, let me wish you the best of luck for the future and look forward to see improved participation in basketball,” said Uutoni.
The BAS celebrated its 10th anniversary since its establishment in February 2010. It was founded by the NBF and the Germany non-profit organization ISIBINDI (Freiburg/Germany). BAS has also received direct support from the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in recent years.
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na