Sport school launched in Karas :: Namibia Internet Gateway cc ::

Sport school launched in Karas

Posted by admin on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 06:35 PM

PRIME Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab has urged Namibians to invest in the youth of the country to ensure future sustainable development.
Speaking at the official launching of the Karas Sport School (KSS) at Keetmanshoop yesterday, Gurirab said that the sport school should not only teach young people athletics and sports skills, but also to motivate them to academic excellence and community leadership. The KSS that was initiated in 2003 and is sponsored by the Coca Cola Company. It accommodates 203 learners in football and 60 in cricket. The Chief Sports Officer of the Karas region, Gabriel Freyer, said in future more sports codes would be accommodated in the programme. Gurirab said a fine balance must be stuck between academic work and extramural activities. "These two should complement each other in a way that is uplifting. Your goal should be to help support developing high-performance athletes achieve excellence academically, while pursuing their dreams of national and international sporting success and recognition," he stressed. He noted that the KSS could help in nurturing a new breed of sportsmen and women that would follow in the footsteps in the likes of world renowned sprinter Frank Fredericks, middle distance runner Agnes Samaria and long distance runner Luketz Swartbooi. "As a nation we are in dire need of sportsmen and sportswomen. Your work is to instill in these young people the virtues of honor and decency," the PM stressed. He was also impressed that the sports school does not discriminate against girls and allow them to train together with their male counterparts. "It should not only be on the sports field but in all spheres of life," Gurirab noted. Currently the youngsters enrolled at the sports schools train each Saturday. Freyer said that the sports school aims to expand in the near future by acquiring a building where kids could watch sports programmes and use the internet and other technologies to enhance their sports knowledge. In the long term the sports school aims to acquire a facility where children from outlying areas would be accommodated for extended periods of time.

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