Special Olympics 2011 Preparation Camps Launched

David Adetona

13 May 2011

Special Olympics Namibia this week officially launched the preparatory camp for this year’s World Summer Games taking place from 24 June to 4 July in Athens, Greece.

Speaking at the launch, Pohamba Shifeta, deputy minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, said that the camps will be held to prepare the football, basketball and athletics teams for the world games.

“We have appointed experienced coaches and they are tasked to develop and prepare these teams to return with silver and gold medals. Our Special Olympics sport coordinators and coaches are currently hard at work in developing our sportsmen and women for the forthcoming 2011 World Summer Games,” he said.

Shifeta added that Special Olympics plays a unique role as it creates opportunities and platforms where children and adults with intellectual abilities are brought together under various programmes and activities to compete at national and international levels and get exposure from fellow Namibians and people from first world economies.

“This is why government, through the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture will do anything in our abilities and power to render all necessary support and assistance to the Special Olympics Movement, ” Shifeta said.

He appealed to parents and communities not to keep people with intellectual disabilities indoors but to contact the office of the national director of Special Olympics Namibia in Katutura for registration of individuals to participate and benefit from the programmes designed for them.

He acknowledged the contribution and support of the First National Bank’s Foundation to the Special Olympics.

“I am aware of the long-time anchor sponsorship the Foundation committed towards Special Olympics Namibia. It is highly commendable for a business such as the bank to invest a substantial amount of money towards Special Olympics Namibia.

“This is the kind of corporate social investment initiative government wants to see from private sector companies. I would like to commend the board of the FNB Foundation for their foresight by looking beyond profits and instead seeing the need to invest in sectors of the economy where no returns are necessarily expected,” Shifeta said.

Jane Katjivivi, chairperson of the FNB Foundation, said that the preparation camps are the prelude to this year’s Special Olympics World Summer Games that will draw 7000 athletes from more than 170 countries around the world, 3000 coaches and officials, 25 000 volunteers, 40,000 family members, thousands of spectators, as well as hundreds of journalists who will document the efforts and achievements of these athletes.

Katjivivi announced a donation of N$250, 000 to Special Olympics in support of their camping and other related activities for the upcoming games.

“We at the foundation are cognisant of the environment the bank group operates and our stakeholders, especially Special Olympics Namibia play a critical role in assisting us to give back to the nation in a big way,” Katjivivi said.

She said that the bank’s commitment and support to Special Olympics Namibia for almost a decade, is undoubtedly yielding the desired results for the country.

The foundation has also contributed N$80,000 towards the soccer pitch foundation at the Football for Hope Centre in Katutura.

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