//Goa!Hoab festival heads to Mariental Mariental will be a hive of activity this long weekend as the annual //Goa!Hoab sport festival is held there.Activities will kick off today with the opening ceremony and a gospel show.
Tomorrow, the football and netball tournaments will start.
The popular event has attracted 37 football teams while 19 sides will compete in the netball tournament.
Traditionally the event is geared to players over 40 years but there will be a category for footballers over 50 this year. The netball will stick to the over-40 age group.
Prize money for the 50+ tourney will see the winners walking away with N$5 000, the runners-up N$2 500 and the semi-final losers N$1 750.
The 40+ football winners will walk away with N$20 000, while the runners-up will receive N$10 000 and the semi-final losers N$5 000. The losing quarter-finalists will get N$2500 each.
The netball winners will receive N$10 000 with the second-placed team receiving N$5 000 and the losing semi-finalists N$2 500.
Other activities during the festival will include a mixed-genre music concert tomorrow and another one on Saturday that will focus on Ma/gaisa and Langarm music.
Entrance for today will be free of charge while the other days will cost N$30 for adults and N$10 for children. The tickets will include entry to the music concerts.
//Goa!Hoab Sport Committee chairperson Ivan Pietersen urged all teams to ensure that they arrive safely.
“Let us drive safely and when we get here, let us abide by the law. We do not want any criminal activity,” he pleaded.
HECTOR MAWONGA