Additional N$50 million could lift govt’s sports investment

Namibia’s investment in sport could rise to N$68.5 million this year if an additional N$50 million earmarked in the national budget is released, executive director in the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture Gerard Vries has revealed.

The funding forms part of government’s renewed drive to strengthen elite athlete development, improve preparations for international competitions and position more Namibian athletes to compete successfully on the global stage.

Speaking on government’s key sports development initiatives for the remainder of the year, Vries said the ministry has already directed funding towards high-performance programmes, while additional allocations have been set aside to support national teams participating in major international competitions.Government has already invested N$ 11 million in high-performance athlete preparation and competition. Of that amount, N$3 million each was allocated towards Namibia’s participation in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games, while N$5 million has been invested in the Podium Performance Programme (PPP).