APP blasts sports officials
The All People's Party (APP) has expressed concern over the slow development of sport since independence.
The All People's Party (APP) has accused the ministry of sport of not doing enough to develop sport.
The criticism comes in the wake of many sports programmes having been placed on hold because of a financial crisis.
The Namibia Premier League (NPL) failed to start because officials have not secured a sponsor since the end of the 2015/16 season.
The party issued a press statement this week to voice its concern about the state of sport in Namibia.
“We express our deep disappointment regarding the development of sport and youth in our country.
“We are pleading to government (the ministry and indeed the presidency) to prioritise sport development as a development project countrywide.
“We also appeal to the private sector to urgently come to the rescue of soccer, boxing, rugby and athletics countrywide.
“We propose that the president compel all commercial SOEs to choose a team in the NPL to support,” the statement reads.
The party also requested the government to come up with a law on corporate social responsibility that would force private companies to contribute a percentage of their annual profits to social causes such as sport.
The APP feels that this would help alleviate unemployment and poverty and help empower the youth.
“It also will keep our young people busy and away from the streets and far away from committing petty crimes.
“As a country, we must build national and regional sport academies if we are to be competitive internationally.”
The party said it was important to sack the current football administrators if things were to change for the better. The fact that some football administrators have been in their positions for so long is believed to have caused the collapse of football and many other codes in the country, it said. “Let us bring in new blood to take our football and other sports codes forward.
“We strongly believe that our youth have a very great potential and talent to excel in all sports codes.
“We challenge the private sector to support sport and sporting codes nationally.”
JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA
The criticism comes in the wake of many sports programmes having been placed on hold because of a financial crisis.
The Namibia Premier League (NPL) failed to start because officials have not secured a sponsor since the end of the 2015/16 season.
The party issued a press statement this week to voice its concern about the state of sport in Namibia.
“We express our deep disappointment regarding the development of sport and youth in our country.
“We are pleading to government (the ministry and indeed the presidency) to prioritise sport development as a development project countrywide.
“We also appeal to the private sector to urgently come to the rescue of soccer, boxing, rugby and athletics countrywide.
“We propose that the president compel all commercial SOEs to choose a team in the NPL to support,” the statement reads.
The party also requested the government to come up with a law on corporate social responsibility that would force private companies to contribute a percentage of their annual profits to social causes such as sport.
The APP feels that this would help alleviate unemployment and poverty and help empower the youth.
“It also will keep our young people busy and away from the streets and far away from committing petty crimes.
“As a country, we must build national and regional sport academies if we are to be competitive internationally.”
The party said it was important to sack the current football administrators if things were to change for the better. The fact that some football administrators have been in their positions for so long is believed to have caused the collapse of football and many other codes in the country, it said. “Let us bring in new blood to take our football and other sports codes forward.
“We strongly believe that our youth have a very great potential and talent to excel in all sports codes.
“We challenge the private sector to support sport and sporting codes nationally.”
JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA
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