Namibia National Paralympic Committee secretary general Michael Hamukwaya has said the visit by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to Namibia is an indication that the NNPC’s hard work is being recognised.
The IPC in 2022 identified 140 countries it intends to visit from November 2022 until June 2024 as it plans on assessing as well as assisting National Paralympic Committees (NPC) with their preparation for competitions.
IPC membership programme manager Gabriel Ojeda, who arrived in Namibia on Friday, told Nampa Namibia is one of the emerging countries in the IPC, and he is happy to be here.
“We are working towards the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games, and it’s important to understand the different NPCs and their different struggles while preparing for Paralympic Games,” he said.
Hamukwaya meanwhile told Nampa in an interview on Sunday that it has been 10 years since they received a visit from the IPC.
“We are happy to have been considered by the IPC as a country to visit. This shows that our hard work is being recognised and this platform will allow us to share our journey with IPC,” he said.
Ojeda further said the IPC is working on a three-pillar strategy which they hope will help NPCs work towards improving themselves despite limited resources.
“When we come to a country we first do assessments of the struggles and successes of a particular NPC as each of them has different issues they deal with. After the assessments we then present the support we can offer,” Ojeda said.
He stated that the IPC’s visit to Namibia aims to develop relations with stakeholders such as governments, while at the same time helping the NPC to replicate programmes that are working well for others.
“We will visit 140 countries until June 2024 as they are busy planning for future Paralympic Games. The IPC wants to understand its members so that what they offer is easy to use for their members and can minimise the burden on NPCs as all employees are working voluntarily,” Ojeda said.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
