MTC Chief Human Capital and Corporate Affairs Officer Tim Ekandjo has pleaded with the government to triple the sports budget so as to give sports a fair chance towards nation-building.

Speaking on Saturday at the 17th edition of the Namibia Annual Sports Awards, Ekandjo said the future of the country belongs to the youth.

“We would like to thank the Namibia Sports Commission for allowing us and all the other sponsors to partner with you so that we can celebrate and recognise our athletes. These athletes all deserve our praise because they once again reminded us that sport is a powerful unifier, something that we so often say when it suits us but fail to demonstrate when it is time to allocate budgets,” Ekandjo said.

He added that Namibian athletes have proven that they can do with little, hence the request to meet them halfway by improving the budget which usually comes in handy when it comes to preparations and hosting events.

Deputy Minister of Sport Youth and National Service Emma Kantema-Goamas said the government continues to remain committed to sports by availing financial resources amidst equally competing priorities that granted the athletes opportunities to compete at Olympics, Paralympics and World School Sport championship among others.

“As a ministry, we will go back to government and say our investments are now bearing fruits. But this does not mean government alone should shoulder the whole burden of preparing and awarding our athletes, private and corporate sector must also come in and assist,” she added.

Kantema-Goamas reiterated her call for athletes to be assisted with resources while they prepare for competitions as this will help Namibia compete strongly on the international stage.

In the last five years, the government has continuously reduced the budget for the Ministry of Sports, Youth and National Service, a situation that has seen the development of many sporting codes suffer due to the unavailability of funds.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency