De Waal aims high
There is a new president at the horse-racing association and his aim is to help the sport grow.
The new Namibia Horse Racing Association (NHRA), president Marthinus de Waal, has his sights set on working hard to improve the association.
The president has been hard at work to build strong relationships that may contribute towards the success of the association.
De Waal, who replaces Seretse Olibile, says he is proud to have taken over at the association and promises to fix what was not fixed in the past.
“As a new person in a position, the first thing to do is build a relationship with all the stakeholders.
“The other thing is to observe and see what the complaints of the past have been and how we can fix them.
“I just want to make this association successful in order for it to reach new heights,” De Waal said.
Last year, the sound of hoofbeats and the dust raised at horse races became an exciting part of the Namibian sport fraternity. For many years horse racing was struggling to keep up with other sport codes as far as attracting fans and sponsors was concerned.
But the sport has grown and is becoming one of the most popular spectator sports in the country.
Sponsors have also started supporting horse races. Several handicap races were hosted last year, attracting thousands of spectators. Companies like MTC and FNB have decided to lend a helping hand to a sport that was almost forgotten by many.
The Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) currently gives the NHRA a yearly grant of N$50 000.
Just a few years back, horse racing was on the verge on collapsing because of a lack of sponsorship and support from the Namibia Sports Commission. This was after the NHRA failed to secure land from the City of Windhoek to build a racetrack adjacent to the Windhoek Country Club Resort.
When this effort failed many people in the horse-racing fraternity saw no future in the sport anymore.
At that time, there were 12 racing clubs affiliated to the association, which was established six years ago. The number of clubs has increased since then.
The NHRA received a N$20 000 yearly grant from the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) back in 2016. At that point administrators predicted a bleak future for the sport.
“My plan is to make sure that horse racing is placed in a prominent category and we receive more funding.
“I can assure you that horse racing has been growing and we can continue to make it grow with the help of sponsors and stakeholders,” De Waal added.
JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA
The president has been hard at work to build strong relationships that may contribute towards the success of the association.
De Waal, who replaces Seretse Olibile, says he is proud to have taken over at the association and promises to fix what was not fixed in the past.
“As a new person in a position, the first thing to do is build a relationship with all the stakeholders.
“The other thing is to observe and see what the complaints of the past have been and how we can fix them.
“I just want to make this association successful in order for it to reach new heights,” De Waal said.
Last year, the sound of hoofbeats and the dust raised at horse races became an exciting part of the Namibian sport fraternity. For many years horse racing was struggling to keep up with other sport codes as far as attracting fans and sponsors was concerned.
But the sport has grown and is becoming one of the most popular spectator sports in the country.
Sponsors have also started supporting horse races. Several handicap races were hosted last year, attracting thousands of spectators. Companies like MTC and FNB have decided to lend a helping hand to a sport that was almost forgotten by many.
The Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) currently gives the NHRA a yearly grant of N$50 000.
Just a few years back, horse racing was on the verge on collapsing because of a lack of sponsorship and support from the Namibia Sports Commission. This was after the NHRA failed to secure land from the City of Windhoek to build a racetrack adjacent to the Windhoek Country Club Resort.
When this effort failed many people in the horse-racing fraternity saw no future in the sport anymore.
At that time, there were 12 racing clubs affiliated to the association, which was established six years ago. The number of clubs has increased since then.
The NHRA received a N$20 000 yearly grant from the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) back in 2016. At that point administrators predicted a bleak future for the sport.
“My plan is to make sure that horse racing is placed in a prominent category and we receive more funding.
“I can assure you that horse racing has been growing and we can continue to make it grow with the help of sponsors and stakeholders,” De Waal added.
JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA
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