Limba Mupetami

Windhoek

The 18th edition of the MTC/NSC Namibia Annual Sports Awards was launched in Windhoek at the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) yesterday.

The sports star of the year is expected to walk away with N$200 000 at an event that will take place under the theme ‘Celebrating Sporting Excellence’.

At this year’s event, 21 categories will be awarded. The awards will take place in Lüderitz at the Lüderitz Waterfront auditorium on 5 November.

Acting chief administrator at the NSC, Freddy Mwiya, said that history has been made since 2018 when they embarked on taking the awards outside the capital.

“We took the event to the Erongo Region (Swakopmund), in 2019 we took the event to the Oshana Region (Ondangwa); the two regions benefitted from the event.

“We were planning to take the event to the south, but the Covid-19 pandemic happened. We were then forced to retain the event in Windhoek in 2019.”

He added that the organisers have “decided to make the impossible possible and are happy that despite financial challenges we are able to live above waters, and because we are a change agent, we want to invite all Namibians in the //Karas Region to come and see our sports ambassadors on the event day. We have done our groundwork with the local community. There is great support from the town council and all inhabitants,” Mwiya said.

Categories:

The categories that will be awarded are as follows: sports star of the year (N$200 000); sportsman and sportswoman of the year (N$100 000 each); junior sportsman and junior sportswoman of the year (N$50 000 each); sportsman and sportswoman of the year with a disability (N$100 000 each); junior sportsman and junior sportswoman of the year with a disability (N$50 000 each); sports team of the year (N$100 000); coach of the year (N$30 000); umpire/referee of the year (N$30 000); sports journalist of the year (N$30 000).

There are three subcategories to be awarded: broadcasting (radio & TV) – N$10 000; print (newspapers, magazines) – N$10 000 and digital (online, social & photography) – N$10 000).

There are also categories for: sports development programme of the year (N$100 000); national federation of the year (N$50 000), lifetime achievement award (a voucher – weekend for two); NSC chairperson award (N$10 000); people’s choice sports star of the year (a voucher-weekend for two); community inspiration award (N$50 000); federation of the year award (N$50 000) and professional athlete of the year in diaspora (N$50 000).

The period under consideration for prizes are from 1 October 2021 to 30 October 2022.

Entries will close on 17 September.

Submissions for nominations can be done via the NSC portal www.nscportal.org. Submissions opened at midnight on 17 August.