Heavy blow for Tisan team
Student sport has been dealt a huge blow, with the withdrawal of the Tisan netball team from the world university champs.
The Tertiary Institutions Sport Association of Namibia (Tisan) netball team has been withdrawn from the upcoming 2018 FISU World University Netball Championship, due to financial constraints.
The team was supposed to compete in Group B against defending champions South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in the third edition of the competition, which takes place from 17 to 21 September in Kampala, Uganda.
However, Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) chief administrator Freddy Mwiya has informed Tisan they will no longer be able to send their team.
“The government, through the ministry of sports, avails funds to support sports codes on an annual basis. These funds are entrusted to the NSC for allocation and subsequent disbursements to various sports codes.
“Unfortunately the budget cut allocations for the 2018/19 financial year were cut drastically (by 60%).
“For the financial year 2018/19, through the directorate of sports, the commission only received funds for the commission's payroll and umbrella bodies and is therefore unable to provide financial support to various sport codes,” Mwiya wrote to Tisan.
“It is our wish that the shortfall due to budgetary cuts will soon be approved for the commission to eventually disburse funds to sport umbrella bodies, federations, unions and associations.”
Tisan head coach Manuel Tjivera said the news is disappointing, as this was not good for student sport.
“We really try our best as coaches and players, but (then) this happens. The players are really not taking the news well because their chance of being scouted is out of the window,” he said.
Team manager Lydia Kauari was furious that her number was given to the media.
She added she cannot comment on behalf of Tisan.
In a letter seen by Namibian Sun, Tisan president Jeffery Werner said the matter is out of the executive's hands.
Namibia was considered a formidable force in world netball in the 1990s, but has since fallen behind in the pecking order, slipping below countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland, who were once the whipping women of netball years ago.
In the 2016 edition of the world university champs in the United States, Namibia lost to Australia in the semifinals by 61-44.
They then went on to beat the US in a consolation game, before beating Trinidad and Tobago 52-38 in the fifth and sixth playoff match to finish fifth overall.
The Tisan team will now miss a golden opportunity to better their world ranking.
The team was supposed to compete in Group B against defending champions South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in the third edition of the competition, which takes place from 17 to 21 September in Kampala, Uganda.
However, Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) chief administrator Freddy Mwiya has informed Tisan they will no longer be able to send their team.
“The government, through the ministry of sports, avails funds to support sports codes on an annual basis. These funds are entrusted to the NSC for allocation and subsequent disbursements to various sports codes.
“Unfortunately the budget cut allocations for the 2018/19 financial year were cut drastically (by 60%).
“For the financial year 2018/19, through the directorate of sports, the commission only received funds for the commission's payroll and umbrella bodies and is therefore unable to provide financial support to various sport codes,” Mwiya wrote to Tisan.
“It is our wish that the shortfall due to budgetary cuts will soon be approved for the commission to eventually disburse funds to sport umbrella bodies, federations, unions and associations.”
Tisan head coach Manuel Tjivera said the news is disappointing, as this was not good for student sport.
“We really try our best as coaches and players, but (then) this happens. The players are really not taking the news well because their chance of being scouted is out of the window,” he said.
Team manager Lydia Kauari was furious that her number was given to the media.
She added she cannot comment on behalf of Tisan.
In a letter seen by Namibian Sun, Tisan president Jeffery Werner said the matter is out of the executive's hands.
Namibia was considered a formidable force in world netball in the 1990s, but has since fallen behind in the pecking order, slipping below countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland, who were once the whipping women of netball years ago.
In the 2016 edition of the world university champs in the United States, Namibia lost to Australia in the semifinals by 61-44.
They then went on to beat the US in a consolation game, before beating Trinidad and Tobago 52-38 in the fifth and sixth playoff match to finish fifth overall.
The Tisan team will now miss a golden opportunity to better their world ranking.
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