Hamukwaya calls for support for Paralympic athletes
Team Namibia will improve their chances of winning medals at the upcoming 2021 Paralympic Games if the athletes go into camp earlier, Namibia Paralympic Committee (NPC) Secretary General Michael Hamukwaya has said.
The NPC was last week allocated four slots for the Paralympic Games by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) – three for track and field, while one slot is for swimming.
Hamukwaya, who is also a coach, told Nampa on Saturday that putting athletes into camp earlier will help them train better.
“If we want to win medals as a country at the Paralympic Games, athletes must be in camp earlier so we can create unity among them as well as control their training and diet. I am confident athletes will do better if they are happy and well prepared physically as well as mentally,” Hamukwaya said.
The secretary general further said NPC plans to take the athletes to Miyako in Japan but that can only happen if funds are availed to them.
NPC wants to use its partnership with Miyako city to take the team there on 31 July 2021 to prepare ahead of the games as well as acclimatise to the environment, said Hamukwaya.
He said NamPower has been supporting disability sport throughout, but the time has now come for government and the Namibia Sports Commission to come on board to support the team ahead of the Paralympic Games.
Hamukwaya said during the qualification process, the NPC catered to athletes’ needs in the country because of their NamPower sponsorship.
“We have coaches training these athletes and they have full time jobs; we cannot take them away from their jobs without compensating or helping with a small fee for their time. If we really need these athletes to be on top of their game, their coaches must be with them while in camp but who would want to risk their job for something that is voluntary?” he said.
The coach said the time is now for Team Namibia to start working hard but support from corporate companies and individuals who can emotionally support athletes is needed as they prepare to represent Namibia at the Paralympic Games.