‘Coastal Paralympians need a spark’

JESSE JACKSON KAURAISASWAKOPMUNDLack of support for disabled athletesInterest in Paralympic sport is waning at Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.The secretary-general of the Namibia Paralympic Committee (NPC), Michael Hamukwaya, has expressed concern that Paralympics in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund is losing its spark due to a lack of support. In the past, the two towns produced high-calibre Para-athletes who went on to claim national and international glory.The 2012 Rio Paralympics gold and silver medallists Johanna Benson and powerlifter Ruben Soroseb are among those who have carried the hopes and aspirations of the Erongo Region and Namibia. But the two towns’ bright Paralympics future appears to have been dimmed.“There has been a decline in the interest in the sport from these towns because there has been a lack of support as far as human resources is concerned.“There are clubs here and there, like the Welwitschia Club, but they have not been active enough because they do not have the necessary support,” Hamukwaya said.“A lack of funding has also been one of the major reasons why the coast has not been able to sparkle in recent years.”Hope in Murere One of the few coastal hopefuls is Swakopmund’s Bradley Murere.The athlete burst onto the scene by winning a silver medal in the T46 200m and a bronze medal in the T46 100m at the 2018 Grand Prix in Berlin, Germany.He was subsequently named junior male para-athlete of the year at the 2019 Namibia Sports Awards and went on to claim the sportsman of the year with a disability award in 2021.Murere is an inspiration to those who have a disability, given that he rose from the ashes after losing his right arm in a car accident in 2012.However, Hamukwaya feels that Murere alone will not be enough to restore the town’s interest in the sport. “[Still], he has been active and that should serve as encouragement to those from the coast. We hope that he can serve as a motivation for clubs and individuals to promote Paralympics in the coastal towns.”RevivalHamukwaya added that there will be concerted efforts to revive the hopes and dreams of Para-athletes at the coast.“Yes, I understand that they need support and we will try to do that by visiting and empowering those that lost hope. I hope this will result in a revolution that will ensure that towns like Swakopmund and Walvis Bay rewrite the history books,” Hamukwaya remarked.One of Walvis Bay’s own, powerlifter Ruben Soroseb, is adamant that athletes in the area will only rise up if they are given hope.Soroseb, who won Namibia's 2015 disabled sportsman of the year category following his heroics at various Paralympics events, stressed the need to have proper funding structures for Paralympics.“The state of Paralympics can only improve if disabled athletes are treated the same as able-bodied athletes. I want to encourage parents of disabled children from Swakopmund and Walvis Bay to give them a chance to participate and compete in Paralympics,” he said.

‘Coastal Paralympians need a spark’

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Republikein 2025-08-04

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‘Coastal Paralympians need a spark’

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