Shikongo brings house downFriday''s Sport Awards will long be remembered for the way Ananias Shikongo''s success was celebrated and powerful speeches delivered by the night''s two keynote speakers. Paralympic star claims top sport award Ananias Shikongo was the undoubted star of Friday''s sport awards which took place at the Windhoek Country Club Resort and Casino.The Paralympic star won three awards after claiming the Sportsman with Disability of the Year and the Sport Achiever of the Year while also being part of the Paralympic Relay team that won the Team of the Year.
His awards also came with hefty prize money totalling more than N$300 000.
The sport achiever gong comes with N$200 000 while the Sportsman with Disability award is worth N$100 000. He will also get his share of N$100 000 from the team of the year prize. A clearly elated Shikongo had the crowd eating out of the palms of his hands after he collected the sport achiever of the year award.
“Now I can call myself a national hero,” he said to much laughter.
“I have to thank my coaches, the sponsors and everybody that continues to support us, every time. I am just happy that I have now also equalised for the men by winning gold,” he joked.
Shikongo''s recognition comes on the back of a period filled with medals won at the All Africa Games, the IPC World Championships and the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil.
We care
Meanwhile, Minister of Sport Jerry Ekandjo in his keynote address made it clear that the Namibian government considers sport as a valuable part of nation building.
“I have noticed that the general public seems to have concluded that sport is not considered important by our government,” he said.
“I would like to dispel this notion because our government considers sports as an important element in nation building as we believe that there are numerous health benefits of sport and physical activity.”
He added that it is only limited resources that hamper government from spending bigger amounts on sports.
“We simply have limited financial resources and competing priorities and I therefore call on the sporting fraternity to be patient with our government.”
Ekandjo commended Namibian administrators for their efforts in keeping sports going, despite the many challenges faced.
“The sporting community in Namibia is courageous and has perseverance; that spirit has not gone unnoticed with the leadership of this country.”
No easy walk
MTC''s Tim Ekandjo also gave a moving speech regarding an issue that threatens to destroy both sport and society at large.
“I wish to speak about an issue very close to my heart, racism, sexism and tribalism. For those of you who are tired of hearing about racism, imagine how much more we are tired constantly experiencing it, so yes we will talk about it over and over again till we completely eradicate the perpetrators,” he said.
“I am well aware that my remarks tonight will not be received well by those who wish to justify that racisms doesn''t exist. I am however comforted by the fact that there is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us would have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountain top of our desires, which in this case is a free and prosperous Namibian house in which we regard each other as equals, and most importantly as human beings.”
The younger Ekandjo went on to explain that racism in sport is a sign of racism in society.
“Racism oppresses its victims, but it also binds the oppressors, who sear their conscience with more and more lies until they become prisoners of those lies. They cannot face the truth of human equality because it reveals the horrors of the injustices they commit,” he argued.
“We must shame those who resort to racist behaviour, we must call them by name, we must ban them from our societies, and in sports we must give them red cards instead of protecting them.”
This year MTC was the platinum sponsor while NamPower came in as a gold co-sponsor.
Other sponsors included First National Bank; Namibia Wildlife Resorts; Coca-Cola Bottling; The Namibian newspaper and Namibian Broadcasting Corporation.
HECTOR MAWONGA