Sport still on losing side

The latest slap in the face for the sport ministry in the national budget is proof that our government does not attach high priority to sport.

The sports ministry was allocated N$286 million, which is N$2 million less than in the 2018/19 financial year.

In 2017/18 the ministry received an allocation of N$385 million, which was N$106 million less than in the 2016/17 budget, when it was allocated N$491 million for its three directorates - sport, youth and national youth service.

For many years, it has been argued that sport is not a priority sector, especially given the continuing recession.

However, I have always been against this concept because I view sport as one of the elements that can contribute towards nation-building.

We all know that the health and education sectors are among the biggest contributors towards development, and therefore receive a large portion of the available funds.

I believe that funding and developing sport could directly contribute to health and education.

It has been proven that physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions.

Some athletes have benefited from sport by receiving scholarships to study at universities outside the country.

Right now, many sport programmes are on hold, while football remains on life support.

This has contributed to the high youth unemployment rate, I believe.

Two years ago, Namibia pulled out of the Cosafa under-20 football tournament due to a lack of funds.

This tournament could have created a platform for the young players to land contracts with clubs in South Africa and elsewhere.

At the moment, Namibia's senior football and rugby teams have qualified for large tournaments and will need large sums for preparation.

How do we expect the players to participate in international tournaments with pride if the government treats the sector like this?

The government continues to preach about eradicating poverty and it goes without saying that by decreasing sport funding, their aim and vision does not mean anything.

I believe that the minister of sport, Erastus Uutoni, has shown us how passionate he is about improving the sector.

But it will be difficult for him to achieve anything with what he has at his disposal.

The government should realise that the dreams of many young athletes have been shattered because sport is not a funding priority.

The government should realise that sport creates jobs. The MTC Namibia Premier League feeds over 400 players and their families.

Professional boxing has been the most lucrative sport for Namibians, with large purses for winning title fights.

I can assure you that sport is a big contributor towards promoting a healthy nation.

That is why I find it heart-breaking that sports is so low on the government's priority list.

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