Minister of Youth, Sports and National Service, Agnes Tjongarero has appealed to the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) to include athletes from all regions in their future Team Namibia selection process aimed for the Region Five Youth Games.

Tjongarero shared these sentiments on Monday in Windhoek during the send-off ceremony of a 116-member Team Namibia that will represent the country at the 9th edition of the Africa Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region Five Youth Games scheduled for Maseru, Lesotho between 03 and 12 December 2021.

While addressing the athletes, Tjongarero instructed the NSC Chief Administrator, Freddy Mwiya, to ensure that all 14 regions have representatives selected to join Team Namibia to compete at the future Youth Games so that they can inspire other kids to join sport after their national duty and share their talents too.

She was referring to the withdrawal of athletes from the Kunene and Zambezi regions due to examinations.

“This is the starting process where future stars are emerging from and is the developing programme of which we identify our future Mboma and Masilingi to make our sport more competitive. Therefore, I am expecting all 14 regions to be represented in future competitions,” she said.

The team, comprised of 77 athletes, will represent Namibia in tennis, swimming, athletics (able-bodied and visually impaired), volleyball, football and boxing.

Meanwhile, Petite Elizabeth Kavenambutako, a volleyball player from the Kavango East Region, will be the flagbearer for Team Namibia at the games.

“It is an honour for me and big responsibility to carry the Namibian flag and I am sure that we are going to bring silverware back home,” she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency