The Director of Sport Development in the Ministry of Sport , Youth and National Service , Jo – Ann Manuel has called on those running sports in the country to safeguard corporate partnerships . She made these remarks during the 10th edition of the QKR Namibia Navachab half – marathon , held in the town of Karibib in the Erongo Region on Saturday . During the award ceremony , Manuel expressed that the funding her ministry receives from the treasury for sports development is insufficient , as the Sports Ministry only gets 1 per cent of the government budget for promoting sports . ‘ The support from the corporate world is crucial for promoting sports , as government funding alone is not enough . It ‘ s important to acknowledge the dedication of a sports officer , Berthold Karumendu who has kept the partnership with Navachab to run this half – marathon for the past 10 years – I commend him for maintaining this sponsorship ,’ she said . The Navachab half – marathon started from humble beginnings and has come a lo
ng way , she added . ‘ It is important to have smart partnerships , like this one that bring a lot of benefits to the town of Karibib and its residents and businesses . If every sport official and administrator maintained such strong partnerships with sponsors , it would lead to sufficient resources for developing sports in the country .’ Manuel said sports should be used to expedite national development in the country . Speaking at the same occasion , Chief Administrator of the Namibia Sport Commission , Freddy Mwiya also said that sports have the power to change the world and unite communities . ‘ This is the third time I am attending the Navachab half – marathon , and I am happy to see that Navachab has remained a sponsor of the event ,’ he said . Mwiya added that it ‘ s important to see the country ‘ s elite athletes competing at this event , as it motivates and uplifts young and upcoming athletes . This year ‘ s QKR Namibia Navachab half – marathon increased its prize money in different categories . The
winners of the overall male and female 21 . 1 – kilometre categories each received N . dollars 20 000 , up from the previous N . dollars 10 000 . Overall , the sponsor allocated N . dollars 700 000 for prize monies and event logistics .

Source: The Namibia News Agency