Athletes question reward policy

Namibia’s Paralympic athletes are demanding to know how they will be rewarded if they achieve success at the Rio Paralympic Games, which start on 7 September.
According to various reports members of the team yesterday went to the Directorate of Sport offices, having refused to train during their morning session.
Namibian Paralympic Committee (NPC) secretary-general Michael Hamukwaya confirmed that the athletes were at the Directorate of Sport offices.
“I understand that most of their grievances were noted and they’ll have a meeting with the permanent secretary [today],” he told Namibian Sun.
Asked whether it would not be more appropriate for the minister of sport or his deputy to hold the meeting with the athletes, Hamukwaya said getting an audience with the permanent secretary was a start, seeing that the NPC was not even aware of the athletes’ intentions.
“It came as a surprise to us as the board but at least talking to the permanent secretary will give the athletes the chance to talk and we’ll be able to take it from there,” he said before mentioning that the biggest issue for the athletes is the government’s reward policy.
It is not clear if the government has a reward policy in place for elite athletes. Over the years controversy has always reigned when an athlete achieved international success.
A case in point involved one of Namibia’s Paralympic stars. There was an uproar when Johanna Benson won a gold medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games, with the government’s subsequent decision to give her a house in Walvis Bay and name a street after her, drawing stinging criticism from other athletes who had excelled in the past.
Another storm erupted last year after Ruben Gowaseb claimed a gold medal in the half-marathon at the Special Olympics held in Los Angeles.
His family felt he was not afforded the same treatment as other athletes.
In the end, he was appeased after being crowned Sport Achiever of the Year and Disability Sportsman of the Year. The government promised to reward Gowaseb but it remains unclear if he has received the promised reward.
The sport ministry was similarly caught by surprise when Namibia’s Brave Warriors won the 2015 Cosafa Cup, resulting in a hastily arranged promise of reward.
The ministry, and by extension the government, now has a chance to avert possible confusion after the Rio Paralympic Games by discussing the athletes’ grievances at today’s meeting.

HECTOR MAWONGA