WINDHOEK – THE chief administrator of the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), Freddy Mwiya has urged sports codes in the country to work hard to place Namibia on the international sports map.
He said this on Monday at the NSC offices during a welcoming ceremony for Namibian athletes and a journalist who won awards at the second edition of the Regional Annual Sports Awards (Rasa).
The awards were held in Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday, and three Namibian athletes and a sports journalist walked away with four of the 12 awards which were up for grabs on the night.
Mwiya said the time had come for the nation to start recognising and accepting all the hard work done by athletes; adding that winning the four awards should be an encouragement for all Namibian athletes and administrators to work harder.
“We entered eight Namibian athletes for the awards, and four of them walked away with trophies, while the other four finished as runners-up.”
The awards recognise 2016 sports achievers within the 10 member states of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC), region five.
The 10 member states are Angola; Botswana; Lesotho; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia, South Africa; Swaziland; Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Namibia’s 2016 Paralympic Games gold medallist Ananias Shikongo walked away with the disability sportsman of the year award after beating Charl du Toit from South Africa and Munyaradzi Musariri from Zimbabwe for the honours.
Another Namibian athlete, Johanna Benson, won the disability sportswoman of the year award by beating Ilse Hayes from South Africa and Margaret Bangajena from Zimbabwe.
Namibian Mayvonne Swart walked away with the junior sportswoman of the year award.
Kaino Nghitongo won Namibia’s fourth award after beating Thabiso Sithole of South Africa and Henry Mhara of Zimbabwe to the journalist of the year accolade.
Other Namibians who finished as runners-up are Delano Muller in kick-boxing for junior sportsman of the year; Rudolf de Wet Moolman in karate for sportsman of the year; Beata Naigambo in athletics for sportswoman of the year and Michael Humukwaya of the paralympic committee for coach of the year.
Shikongo was also nominated in the sportsman of the year category, but lost out to Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa, who retained the accolade he won in its maiden year. – Nampa
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