State sports funding is ‘peanuts’

SPORTS Deputy Minister Pohamba Shifeta described the current funding to sport from State coffers as ‘peanuts’, saying that something drastic needs to be done to address this ‘injustice’ to the talented sportsmen and -women in Namibia.

Pohamba spoke at the announcement of an upcoming boxing championship which will feature several top Namibian boxers slated for the Windhoek Country Club at the weekend.Pohamba was dismayed by the fact that Namibian sportsmen and -women continued to struggle to make an impact on the international scene due to poor funding that comes from the Government.He said although it was understandable and common knowledge that sport competes with other ministries for a piece on the national budget, he still views the current allocation as too little to cater sufficiently for the various sporting codes.’I am not happy with the budget to sport at all. I think we need revisit the National Sport Policy and set our priorities right, because I am sure that some of the sportsmen and -women in this country make a living out of sport,’ he said.He said all the stakeholders will have to meet to revisit the policy and put in measures that can attract more funding to sports.’What we also need to do is to come up with a survey and assess how many of our sports people are actively making a living from sport. Once we know this, we will be able to determine how much money Government should set aside for sport in general in the country,’ he said.For this current financial year, sport received a total of N$56 million from Government to cater for over 40 codes, while some of it is used to provide and maintain basic sporting facilities in all 13 regions.The budget also caters for the provision of sports equipment, financial assistance to national and international sports bodies, as well as creating a conducive sporting environment in the regions.From the N$50 million, a few millions are taken to prepare national teams for international matches, while this must also cater for Namibian teams competing at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. Pohamba said the Namibia Sports Commission gets ‘peanuts’ from them and cannot sufficiently cater for all the needs of the various sporting codes, leaving some athletes and teams stranded without finances before international competitions.Pohamba said sports and arts can be used to curb the high levels of unemployment as well as crime if young people are exposed to sports instead. corry@namibian.com.na