Otjozondjupa selects athletes for nationals
Otjozondjupa has selected 50 athletes to represent the region at the national athletics event slated for Windhoek from 9 to 11 May.
The region selected its top performers from the six zone Regional Athletics Games, which took place at Paresis sports ground in Otjiwarongo over the weekend.
Jevezinga Muheue, who is the region’s athleticsconvener,said all went accordingly, and the cooperation from the zones was exceptional.
“Our aim was to pick the best athletes to represent the region at national level, and we did that. We selected athletes, and we will prepare them well for the big occasion in Windhoek,” he added.
In terms of zonal ranking at the event, the convener said the Grootfontein-Otavi zone scooped the first position, followed by Okahandja in second place, while Okakarara settled for the third spot.
Omatako zone claimed the fourth position, leaving behind the host
Otjiwarongo in the fifth spot, with Tsumkwe in the sixth spot, which is the bottom position.
Muheue also complimented the various sponsors who came on board to aid the event.
“I will be failing in my duties if I fail to mention Pupkewitz VonBom’sVolkswagen and GWM, Haval, R03, Hollard Insurance, MTC, PSG, Otjiwarongo Secondary School, Built It, John Deere and B2 Gold among others,” noted Muheue.
The convener, who is also a teacher from Okamatapati Combined School, thankedtheorganising committee members, the host Educate Academy, and the security company for the tremendous job at Paresis sports ground.
“It was a good motivation for athletes as the pavilions were full to capacity, and the presence of parents at the event also gave it a special colour, which is ideal for sports development in our region,” he emphasised.
Yolandie Boshoff from the Grootfontein-Otavi zone said hard work and collective efforts from fellow schools in the zone led to their success.
“We put a lot of effort into athletics. We started an athletics club in Grootfontein, and that improved our athletes in the zone. We saw the fruits of our labour as we created high standards for athletics, and we are confident we will do well at the national event,” added Boshoff.
Tsumkwe, on the other hand, felt disadvantaged when competing against other zones in the region.
The zone’s chairperson Kennedy Ndozi said their poor performance at the event is attributed to the lack of sports facilities and athletics equipment in most schools.
“We are far behin. We lack skilled coaches, and most schools do not consider sports as a priority here. One can see that we have talents, but the avenues to display them are not there,” said Ndozi.
He said the other zones are betterequipped with athletics tools and sports facilities, and they are even sponsored by corporate entities, and that motivates athletes to do better.
Ndozi added that the Tsumkwe zone has 12 schools, and only three have sports fields.
“Imagine some of our athletes are running barefoot. What does it tell you? We are not at the same level, but we are trying with little at our disposal to expose talent,” said the chairperson.
Ndozi called on the government and the line ministry to look into the matter and assist.
“They can even send skilled personnel in sport to guide us in different sport codes. Even businesspeople can assist us to be on par with other areas,” he suggested.
The region will announce the names of qualified athletes in due course.