Windhoek: The government, through the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), has awarded approximately N$770,000 to various sports federations for disbursement to athletes and coaches across different sporting codes under the first-quarter rewards programme. The awards were announced by NSC Chief Administrator Freddy Mwiya during an official ceremony in Windhoek on Tuesday, attended by sports personalities and representatives of national sports federations.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Mwiya stated that approximately N$250,000 was allocated to Special Olympics Namibia, while about N$220,000 was awarded to the Namibia Inline Hockey Federation. "Team events have a different format. But if you look at individual athletes, their prizes range from gold medal, silver medal, you name it. Some will receive N$30,000, some N$20,000 and some N$40,000," he explained. He confirmed that the funds had already been transferred to the respective federations, stating, "It was paid last month."

Mwiya urged recipients to use the rewards responsibly and warned against squandering the money. "That's one thing we'd like to encourage people to do. There are some who have received N$400,000 over the years in various categories and have wasted the money," he said. He added that since the rewards policy was introduced in 2018, nearly N$15 million has been awarded to Namibian athletes.

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, Hendrick Mapele said the rewards recognize the achievements of athletes and coaches who continue to win medals for Namibia. He also encouraged recipients to use the funds wisely. "As government, we urge our athletes and coaches to put whatever they are earning to good use so that they continue to bring more medals for their country," he said. Representatives of the sports federations thanked the government and the NSC for their continued support of sport development in Namibia.