NPC targets 2020 Paralympic Games

WINDHOEK, 07 JUL  – Namibia Paralympic Committee (NPC) Secretary General, Michael Hamukwaya said their aim as a sport federation is to develop more young talent to represent the country at international games.
Hamukaya said this in an interview with Nampa after team Namibia won nine medals at the 2018 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Berlin Grand Prix that was held at the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark in Berlin, Germany, over the weekend.
Hamukwaya told this agency that the NPC is working on building strong partnerships towards the Paralympic Games that will be held in Japan, Tokyo in 2020.
“The results at the Berlin Grand Prix showed us that there is a lot of talent in Namibia. But there is also still a lot of work to be done for this team to improve from the five medals we won at the 2016 Paralympic Games that were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,” he said.
The secretary general added that for the NPC to build a strong team, they need support from the corporate world.
“If we are to have athletes, who can compete competitively with the rest of the world we need to expose them to a lot of international grand prix and that can only happen if we have money.
“For us to travel to Berlin, NamPower sponsored the trip and we are thankful for their support towards para-athletes. We hope others will learn from that and start coming on board, so we can produce more future champions,” Hamukwaya said.
Hamukwaya stated that if funds are not availed to prepare young athletes who won silverwares in Germany, Namibia as a country should forget about winning or even qualifying for the 2020 Paralympic Games.
“We are working on building a team that can represent Namibia at major competitions but for that to happen we need to keep this team in training. When the Grand Prix season opens again, we have to select three or four Grand Prix, where they can compete with the world’s best,” he added.
He said the more experience they gain, the better it would be for them to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
“All we need is to have more funds which will help us in preparing a team of athletes for the All African Games and World Athletics Championships, which will be used as qualifiers for the 2020 Paralympic Games,” Hamukwaya said.
(NAMPA)