World Cup trophy a hit

THE solid gold Fifa World Cup Trophy proved to be a hit with the locals after it made its rounds in Windhoek when it arrived early on Thursday morning.

The trophy was brought here as part of the all-Africa tour sponsored by Coca-Cola.The trophy was flown in from Angola as part of a 70-day tour of 53 African nations that started in Cairo, Egypt, on September 24. President Hifikepunye Pohamba was the only Namibian allowed to touch and kiss the trophy that will be contested for at the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa.Pohamba said the tournament will provide Africa with an opportunity to prove to the rest of the world that if given an opportunity, it can deliver.’Africa has the potential and is capable of achieving success not only in sports, but also in other areas of human endeavour. It is therefore vital for our continent to identify and harness the opportunities that can enable our continent to move forward and bring about wider improvement in the living conditions of our people.’We owe it to our people to make sure that the socio-economic benefits attendant to the World Cup are harnessed for the benefit of the African people,’ said Pohamba.This year’s trophy tour is the longest ever, with Fifa and Coca-Cola taking it to 86 countries during a 225-day journey. The trophy will travel 134 017 kilometres and visit every nation in Africa. In 2006, the tour visited 31 cities in 29 countries, covering 102 570 kilometres. In Windhoek, several hundreds of enthusiasts took souvenir photos next to the trophy at Katutura’s UN Plaza on Friday morning.The trophy measures 36,8 centimetres high, weighs in at 6,175 grams and is made of solid, 18-carat gold. The trophy left Namibia for Botswana on Friday evening.