Create an rewarding culture

We often seem to ignore what those who are putting the country’s name on the world map do when they excel in so many sport competitions across the world.
The fact that our athletes compete at different levels and bring something back home is worth recognition and that recognition does not have to be for certain people but for all.
I praise those who took the decision to award Johanna Benson when she won a gold medal but it hurts me to think that the rewarding culture is just not really there.
Boxers are winning world titles but that reward only comes from the promoters, so one then asks if there is an upcoming person then what motivates them to also aim to do what the current ones are doing if there is no some form of compensation coming their way.
It takes hard work and dedication for sportspersons to achieve what they do and that alone deserves recognition.
We need to continue and build on that culture of rewarding those who make proud and not just wait for the athletes to mourn about not getting that award.
The decision by Para-athletes to demand some form of compensation has come at the right time because these are the guys that are often neglected or we don’t seem to realise that what they do is equal to that done by the able-bodied athletes.
The only medal hope in Rio lies in the hands of our Para-athletes and if we don’t reward them we are definitely killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
Before athletes even go for a competition we need to set a standard that if one wins a gold medal there is this and that waiting for you and that will be the driving force for each athlete to give their best.
If we don’t review our awarding policy if we even have any in place then we can as well just forget the best of all from our athletes.
Despite the fact that athletes do what they do for the love of the game, people need to feel that their nation is behind them and what they have done is recognised.
What we do at the moment is just not enough at all and that am not just talking about the efforts done by government but even by the corporate entities.
The private business also has to come on board and meet government half-way on the awarding system.
I love the fact that the president awarded the Brave Warriors for winning Cosafa last year, but I still want to know what is in the books for the U-17s who also won Cosafa this year.
Yes it’s U-17s but what they have done is the same as what the senior team did and for me what they did is more admirable that they have followed the seniors’ footsteps.
I’m of course not saying give them 50 000 like the seniors because they are young players who are still in school but considering that most are either grade 11 or 12, then how about a scholarship for tertiary studies?
As much as we emphasise the importance of education for a sportsperson, scholarships for the Baby Warriors would serve so much purpose that it would motivate them to study hard because they know their studies are already paid for.
Those little things that we overlook as unimportant make so much difference as we strive to be a better sporting nation, and we cannot afford to take any idea for granted.
We don’t have to dish out millions to our sports people if the money is not there but the least we can give is recognition.
Athletes also need to understand that despite the conditions they train in, Namibians recognise that but should not demand millions when they know that there is no money.
We cannot aim high because the rest of Africa does it but have a foundation of how it should be done and with time we build on that to a point where we will then be giving out millions, but it’s is very important that we reward those that are making Namibia proud from whatever sport code.
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KAINO NGHITONGO