Since the establishment of the tournament in 2014, it has catered for various high profile club and national football matches, but this time the focus will be on rugby as the Windhoek Draught Welwitschias will take on the Windhoek Draught Griquas at the Dr Hage Geingob National Rugby Stadium on 5 November.
Speaking at the same venue yesterday, the tournament organiser Amos Shiyuka said it made sense to support rugby.
“Someone asked me why are we supporting rugby, but why not? Yes, initially the event started as a footballing event, but you must remember that the President is also the patron of rugby in as much as he is the patron of football,” he said.
“Coincidentally this stadium is also named after him and rugby is doing well at the moment. I’m not saying we moved to rugby because football is not in order, but you can conclude and make up your own minds,” he added.
Shiyuka said that the three main sponsors will provide close to N$4 million for the tournament, with MTC contributing N$1,6 million, Namibia Breweries Limited N$1,5 million and Bank Windhoek N$500 000.
“The proceeds of this event will go directly to the Namibia Rugby Union, to help the national team to prepare for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France,” he added.
President Geingob’s spokesperson Dr Alfred Hengari said that President Geingob was an avid sport supporter.
“The Dr Hage Geingob Cup is a reflection of the passion the President has for sport in the country. It’s not just for its entertainment value, but because sport is about discipline, hard work, health and nation building which is very important for our country. The fact that the Dr Hage Geingob Cup will be in the rugby stadium is a reflection of the person that the President is – he loves diversity, and he loves different sport codes,” he said.
“But he has a message for the Welwitschias – you have now qualified for the Rugby World Cup on several occasions through determination and hard work, but the challenge is now to go further and win at the World Cup, that is the challenge that the president is throwing to you,” he said.
Minister of Sport, Agnes Tjongarero congratulated the organisers on their contribution to sport, as well as to society in general, after proceeds during covid went to vulnerable members of the community.
“The organisers contributed immensely during Covid 19 when the nation fought to keep its head above water. Not only did they support maternity shelters across the country, but they also assisted orphanages countrywide, bringing hope to many people, as the death toll was rising due to the unseen enemy,” she said.
“This time around the organisers will channel the funds towards our national rugby team that qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the seventh time. We are united, and we are going to show the rugby world what we can do,” she said.
The managing director of Namibia Breweries, Marco Wenk said that they had invested close to N$50 million in various sport codes over the past seven years and that it was important to support sport in the country.
“We believe that through initiatives like the Dr Hage Geingob Cup we can help keep the joy and spirit of sport alive in our country and create positive change through sport.
“We look forward to an exciting game on the 5th of November between two formidable teams which have several aspects in common. Both have been on an exciting journey for the past few months with the Welwitschias qualifying for the World Cup and the Griquas being runners up in the Currie Cup. The Griquas currently have at least two Namibians playing in their team, while both teams are sponsored by Windhoek Draught. I call on everyone to come out in numbers to support the event – it should be a rugby match of note.”
MTC spokesperson, John Ekongo, said they were proud to be associated with the Dr Hage Geingob Cup.
“We believe that sport is a social cohesion impact tool and it drives the agenda of unity in diversity as a nation… This cup represents the great passion and love for sport as embodied by the patron and President of the nation,” he said.
Lukas Nanyemba of Bank Windhoek said they were proud to be part of the tripartite partnership of the Dr Hage Geingob Cup.
“We endorse the decision to support the Namibia Rugby Union as they prepare for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Namibian rugby is all about community and the heart and spirit of the game, and they will have our support as they take on a tough group in France,” he said.
