The gravity of a sports expo

LIMBA MUPETAMI



At every press conference held lately, minister of sport Erastus Uutoni has been preaching about hosting a sports expo.

It has become an anthem since the minister took over: a broken record some might say, but when one thinks about it, the minister might actually be on to something.

Look at it this way: despite its vast array of talent, Namibia has remained behind the rest of the globe in terms of sports achievements due to an absence of sporting development mechanisms as well as exposure for the athletes.

For example, we have great boxing talent, but lack adequate funding for academies, talent development, facilities as well as qualified coaching personnel. This has severely dented the chance for the nation to stand amongst the rest of the world. We win world titles but lack continuity.

That's when the idea of a sports expo comes in. Recently, the cabinet endorsed the hosting of the first Namibia Annual Sport Expo in September 2019.

A step in the right direction, one must say. If successful planning and research go into this, it will surely bring together industry experts, scholars, existing and potential customers to share new ideas, concepts and experiences of various products and services in sports.

In every sense, expos contribute significantly to business development and growth for various small and medium enterprises as well as big businesses.

In the sport, recreation, leisure and fitness industry, expos are important too, not just at a national level but also at regional level.

Here in Namibia, South Africa and other cities and regional hubs throughout Africa, various expos are held. The sectors range from agriculture to aviation, travel, mining, energy, road, rail and medicine.

It is at these expos that companies and organisations come to benchmark their products and operations against world-class standards.

Why then are we not looking into mega sports expos, as sport has for years united people from all walks of life?

We have former and current world champions roaming the streets of Windhoek. Let's engage these stars and plan ahead as to how we can elevate sport in the country.

We will then see those who are serious and hungry for improvement in the industry. As the wise elders have aptly stated, “Learning does not end. In most cases, the ones who are not serious about improvement in their sectors do not even bother to turn up.”

We will see who is willing to aid and better the sport industry and to push positive agendas for athletes who in most instances struggle to get information about gear, nutrition, scholarships and so forth.

All over the world, the commercialisation and globalisation of sport is continuing at a frightening pace. The global sport industry is now a serious business worth billions every year.

Namibia desperately needs a piece of this pie. However, without a viable sport industry capable of competing with other regions of the world, the citizens of Namibia will, sadly, remain spectators in this game of wealth creation through sport.

Mind you, sport is not an industry for those who failed academically. Sport holds its own among the rest and children are groomed at a tender age to one day compete and dominate every competition there is.

However, there is a dire need for the exchange of ideas, information and experiences so that companies can also give feedback to athletes and federations on the best ways possible to engage them for sponsorships.

Let us truly stand behind Uutoni. Just a word of advice to the minister and his organising team though: converse with people who are in the business of sports, whether fitness or nutrition, create reliable linkages and connections for business partnerships and development.

It is very good to applaud athletes after they win medals at Olympic Games and world championships but is more important to have a recognised and established sport, recreation, fitness and leisure industry which generates meaningful employment for them.

Let the expo create a platform which will help lessen the financial burden on the government through the enticement of investors who will then part with their resources in a coordinated and uniform movement.

Some countries such as Kazakhstan have got it right by having an annual exhibition that unites representatives of the sports industry from all regions of the country; let's use them as a case study.

A sports expo can truly go a long way in terms of marketing and raising the profile of the region as a whole. Such an event would prepare the region to host high-profile events in the future as well.



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