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Biggest Namibian sports blooper of all time

Biggest Namibian sports blooper of all time

Maria David

THE Namibia Annual Sports Awards on Saturday mistakenly named Namibian cyclist Vera Looser as the Sports Star of the Year.

In what can be described as one of the most embarrassing displays of incompetence in sports administration, the award should have gone to para-athlete Lahja Ishitile instead. Along with receiving the Chairperson’s Award of Excellence, Ishitile was also recognized as the Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability nominee.

In a statement issued by the Namibia Sports Commission Marketing and Public Relations Officer, Givean Samulandela acknowledged that the Sports Star of the Year award was erroneously given to Looser, who had not been nominated for this category.

Samulandela explained that the correct recipient should have been Ishitile. The error was attributed to technical mistakes by their auditors, Hamilton and Partners, with the Commission taking full responsibility for the lapse.

“We recognize the omission of a ramp for wheelchair athletes to access the stage during the awards ceremony. This oversight is unacceptable, and we are committed to ensuring that all athletes have equal access in future events,” he said.

He added that a technical glitch also caused some profiles to freeze or be cut off during the presentations.

“We value your contributions to sports in Namibia and are dedicated to upholding the integrity of our awards process,” he said.

Samulandela said that, moving forward, the Commission would implement measures to prevent similar incidents at future events.

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