Namibia set for Africa Unity Cup

WINDHOEK – Special Olympics Namibia will send a unified sports team to South Africa this week for the Special Olympics Africa Unity Cup . The seven-a-side football tournament – featuring four footballers with intellectual disabilities and three without intellectual disabilities per team – will take place at Phokeng near Rustenburg from October 1 to 6. The clinical director of Special Olympics Namibia, Dr Kagiso Moloi, told Nampa that the Namibians will play against teams from 11 countries across Africa.

During the tournament, three top teams will be qualify for the Special Olympics Fifa World Cup to take place in Brazil in 2013.

Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team, and it is based on the principle that playing and training together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.

Dr Moloi, who is a dentist, called on other medical professionals in the country to volunteer their time to keep people with disabilities healthy.

“Volunteerism in the country is lacking. We need professionals and general practitioners to volunteer and make sure that our athletes are healthy. Please volunteer,” he requested.

He had been speaking to Nampa at the launch of a new campaign by Special Olympics Namibia aimed at creating awareness and promoting the activities of the organisation, as well as to raise funds.

Musician Sunny Boy – real name Sunday Shipushu – and Radio Energy presenters Emma Areses and Lichen Khachas have been selected as Special Olympics Namibia ambassadors and will be the ‘faces’ of the organisation for the campaign.

They will provide their skills and services to ensure that the campaign, as well as other Special Olympics Namibia programmes, continue to reach its intended beneficiaries.

Special Olympics targets youth with and without intellectual abilities, in and out of school youth and people working with young people with intellectual disabilities. – Nampa

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