Namibia's sports ambitions face a significant funding gap, with the Chief Administrator of the Namibia Sport Commission, Freddy Mwiya, issuing a call for the corporate sector to support the Podium Performance Programme. The appeal was made during a briefing session in Windhoek, where eight selected tennis players were officially inducted into the initiative, which outlines the expectations and benefits available to participants.

The Podium Performance Programme, led by the Commission, encompasses athletes from 13 sporting codes identified as having the potential to represent the nation at the international level. Mwiya highlighted the breadth of the program, which currently supports 117 athletes.

"There's an injection of money," Mwiya explained. "Apart from tennis, there are several sports codes. One of them is boxing, which is also part of the podium performance. Swimming and aquatics are also part of the programme. We have archery, karate, and table tennis, which still play a role. We also have judo and athletics. So, you can see we have 117 athletes on the podium performance. From your sport code, we have eight of you."

Mwiya emphasized that resources are already being directed toward athlete needs, noting that the commission recently covered costs for various teams, including tournament registrations.

"As I am speaking, for the past two weeks, I have already spent 1.1 million, because we have already sent a karate team, and we are sending teams for archery, aquatics, and athletics," he noted. "For you, you have this tour, the Under-18 World Tour taking place in Namibia, where we have funded your registration because it is taking place at home."

Despite these investments, Mwiya acknowledged that current funding is insufficient to cover all expenses for the 117 athletes. The commission initially requested 7 million to initiate the project but received 5 million.

"Being part of this podium performance, we are not going to cover all your training-related costs," Mwiya stated. "My expectation was that I requested 7 million to start the project this year, but I only received 5 million, which I am happy with because we can start. But we are still calling on corporate Namibia. We are working with corporates, but I need about 50 million per year to run this programme and support all our athletes."

As Namibia continues to invest in elite sport, the push for increased corporate involvement remains critical to addressing the funding shortfall and ensuring that athletes are adequately prepared for international competition.