Sport outreach held at Osire Refugee Settlement

A mass-participation sports outreach event was held at the Osire Refugee Settlement in the Otjozondjupa region earlier this month to promote recreation, talent identification, and the inclusion of refugees in organised sport.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, in consultation with the Commissioner for Refugees, and brought together refugees from the settlement and residents from surrounding farms.

Speaking to Desert FM earlier this week, Otjozondjupa sport officer Mara Kandjiriomuini said the initiative aimed to introduce sport as both a development tool and a pathway into formal sporting structures.

“We were approached by the Commissioner for Refugees to host a sport event for the refugees at the Osire settlement camp,” Kandjiriomuini said. “Through that, our directorate of sport initiated a mass participation sport outreach.”

She said four sporting codes were included in the programme: netball, football, basketball, volleyball, and a marathon.

According to Kandjiriomuini, the event was supported by government institutions and local stakeholders.

“The ministry of sport provided balls, trophies, and medals for the winners,” she said. “The event was also supported by surrounding farmers, who sponsored vegetables and meat for the participants.”

Kandjiriomuini stated that the outreach was not limited to refugees, as neighbouring communities were deliberately included.

“We also included the surrounding farms so they could showcase their talent, and for us to identify the needs of the different sport codes in this area,” she said.

She reported strong participation across all codes.

“Participation was 100%. For football, we registered 15 teams; we had three netball teams, and in the marathon we had about 50 athletes,” Kandjiriomuini said.

She said the size of the settlement highlights the need for structured sporting development.

“There is a population of approximately 10 000 to 15 000 at Osire settlement. There are two schools: a primary school and a high school,” she said.

She added that plans are underway to expand the programme later this month. “We wanted to add judo, but due to time constraints, we could not finalise our logistics. That’s why we will do it in the third week of January,” she said.

“We are going to introduce judo, and we are also going to have a prize-giving ceremony for those events.”

Kandjiriomuini said the Namibia National Olympic Committee, the sport commission, and the directorate of sport are expected to be involved in future engagements with the community.

She stated the long-term objective is to create pathways for refugee youth into structured and international sport. “We will select these young people, and they will represent the refugees of Osire at other international events that fall under the Olympic refugee structures,” she said.

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