NAMIBIA’s Paralympians, and especially their two medalists Ananias Shikongo and Johannes Nambala, received a heroes welcome in Windhoek on Thursday after their return from the Paralympic Games on Wednesday evening.
Shikongo and Nambala, who won five medals between them at the Rio Paralympics, as well as their guides Even Tjiviju and Sem Shimanda were paraded around town in a Mercedes Benz Cabriolet sponsored by M&Z Motors, while a sizeable governmental delegation was on hand to welcome them at the UN Plaza in Katutura.
In her keynote address, Deputy Minister of Sport, Agnes Tjongarero congratulated the athletes saying they had made their country proud.
“It’s a great honour for Namibia to achieve so many medals. Many other countries did not even make it to the podium, not even to mention gold.
I always say that the time has come that we compete and not just participate and today we have shown that we can compete against the best in the world and that we can win,” she said.
“Now we have to start preparing for the 2020 Games; we need to identify the new Johanna Bensons, Ananias Shikongos and Johannes Nambalas and prepare them well… To those who didn’t win now, prepare well for next time – there is always a next time, so don’t give up on your dreams,” she added.
Tjongarero said their performances would help the Sports Ministry in their efforts to receive more funds from the government.
“Sport is like any other sector competing for funds, but performances like these will help our requests to be considered favourably – this is a very good return on investment.”
She said the government would still decide how much remuneration the athletes would receive.
“We still have to consult about how much the winners will get, but we will still announce that. For now all we can say is that our commitment to the athletes before they departed will be fulfilled.”
The Deputy Minister for Disability Affairs in the Office of the President, Alexia Manombe-Ncube said that Namibia’s Paralympians had inspired the whole nation.
“We are united as one people under one flag – to our winners, well done, and continue to inspire us. To those who didn’t win, don’t be disheartened, for us you are still winners, because you participated at the Games and represented us well. Unity has won, Namibia has won and you have filled our hearts with joy,” she said.
“Today the Land of the Brave salutes our national heroes in sport who have made us proud and your president is walking taller than his counterparts today,” she added.
She also paid respect to Namibia’s freedom fighters in the struggle for independence.
“We will also not forget those who fought for the freedom of Namibia and those who paid the ultimate price and cannot be here with us to witness this day. To those who are still with us – you continue to inspire us and these are also your medals. Thanks for your bravery, because today Namibia can be counted amongst the great nations of the world,” she said.
The president of Disability Sport Namibia, Charles Nyambe thanked the government for its support over the years as well as that of DSN’s main sponsors like NamPower and Coca-Cola, but he added that they would need more investment in the future.
“We need additional investment if we want to bring more medals home. The most neglected areas are research, data collection and surveys – this will help us look at trends and develop a comprehensive plan for the future,” he said. “For every dollar we invest in regular sport, we need to invest N$3 for Paralympic sport. The athletes need guides, their equipment has to be modified which is very expensive and according to Paralympic rules every four athletes need one official. Then we also need a full time staff to run the affairs of DSN. But compared to other countries, our government has done a lot for disability sport and we thank them for that,” he added.
Lucia Hiveluah, head of NamPower Foundation said they had supported DSN since 2011 and would continue to do so.
“It was a very proud moment when our flag was raised five times at the Paralympic Games and especially when Ananias Shikongo won the gold medal. We will continue to invest a portion of our gains into sport and we call on the parents of disabled children not to hide them from society, but to help them reach their full potential.”
