Paris Paralympic star Lahja Ishitile cemented her status as the country’s standout performer by claiming three prizes at the Namibia Annual Sport Awards (Nasa).
However, this only came after the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) yesterday reversed its decision to bestow the sport star of the year award on cyclist Vera Looser instead of Ishitile.
Ishitile now completes her hat-trick with the sportswoman with disability award and NSC chairperson’s prize.
The glaring oversight robbed Ishitile of her crowning moment in what has been a stellar 12 months in which she rose from a perennial campaigner to a world beater, while leaving Looser – who was named the sportswoman of the year – unimpressed.
“The correct recipient should be Lahja Ishitile. This error has been attributed to technical errors by our auditors, Hamilton and Partners, and we take full responsibility for this lapse,” the NSC said in a statement yesterday.
Awarding the wrong recipient was one of three major gaffes that marred the event in Windhoek on Saturday.
They also neglected to include a ramp, inconveniencing wheelchair-bound athletes and officials in accessing the stage. Furthermore, “a technical glitch caused some profiles to jam and cut off during their presentations”.
“We sincerely apologise for any confusion or frustration this may have caused,” the NSC stated.
“The NSC extends its heartfelt apologies to all athletes, nominees and stakeholders affected by these errors. We value your contributions to sport in Namibia and are dedicated to upholding the integrity of our awards process.”
Meanwhile, Chris Kinda and Francois Marais will not be stripped of their sportsman of the year with a disability and sportsman of the year awards, respectively.
The same is true for track and field prospect Magano Naseb, who took the junior sportsman of the year prize, with rising cyclist Delsia Janse van Vuuren getting the junior women’s equivalent recognition.
The junior sportswoman of the year with a disability is promising swimmer Namasiku van der Linden.
Isack David, Zekka Chikumbe and Shapumba Amavila shared the junior sportsman of the year with a disability award, with Deon Hotto named the professional sport star of the year in the diaspora.
Other award recipients on Saturday were: the Namibian Cycling Federation for the development programme of the year; Cricket Namibia for the federation of the year; the Namibian hunting rifle shooting team claimed the team of the year award; while Frank Fredericks, Harry Simon and Agnes Samaria were the first hall of fame inductees.
The Namibia Cycling Federation’s RMB Kids on Bike Programme won the development programme of the year award.
Meanwhile, the NSC’s lifetime recognition awards were given to Monica Dahl Bohm, Hasso Ahrens, Paulus Frans, Charlotte Jantze and the Frank Fredericks Foundation.
Paralympics team coach Letu Hamhola was named coach of the year, while the referee/umpire of the year prize went to Twanyanyukwa Antsino.
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