Funding hurdle hits African chess dreams

Chess
Only 19 of the 60 chess players who qualified for the AYCC will represent the country in Uganda.
Mariud Ngula
  • 23 Hours Ago

Most of Namibia’s top junior chess players who qualified for the African Youth Chess Championships (AYCC), starting this Thursday in Uganda, will remain behind as they are unable to foot the estimated N$32 000 per player required to compete at the event.

The Namibia Chess Federation (NCF), through its treasurer and head of delegation to the continental showpiece, Alina Shimanya, revealed on Monday that only 19 of the 60 players who qualified will represent the country in Entebbe.

The players, ranging from the boys’ and girls’ U8 to U18 age categories, qualified following their outstanding performances at the National Junior Chess Championships in March.

Shimanya said the shortfall reflects the financial burden facing the players, as only those able to cover travel, accommodation and other related costs will make the trip.

The travelling players will be accompanied by Shimanya and 12 parents.

“[Fielding 19 players] is just a drop in the ocean, as it’s only 1.92% representation at the event, considering that the players will be going up against 990 confirmed entries to date. Nonetheless, we’ll try to make it work,” said Shimanya.


Only funding PPP athletes

At the same send-off occasion, held at the Namibia Sports Commission offices in Windhoek, chief administrator Freddy Mwiya indicated that the commission is only able to cover the expenses of two of the 19 players.

Mwiya noted that this is because the two players are part of the government’s Podium Performance Programme (PPP), which supports athletes at major international events.

The first-of-its-kind PPP initiative comprises 117 elite athletes across 13 sports codes who are top performers in their respective disciplines.

It ensures that resources are directed towards athletes with a proven record of excellence and clear high-performance potential.

From the chess discipline, Namibia will be represented at the AYCC by Shadah Uanguta and Sibusiso Angula, who are part of the 10-player chess contingent in the PPP.


Events fully funded by government

Mwiya further clarified that being part of a national team does not mean the government will cover all related expenses for every player, as the government only fully funds six sporting events, according to its Appropriation Bill.

“In those six games, players don’t pay for flights, national colours, pocket money or [any related costs], as the government pays for everything,” he said.

The events fully funded by the government include the AUSC Region Five Youth Games, Anoca African Youth Games, Senior African Games, Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

“These are the bigger multidisciplinary games that take precedence over confederation championships. With confederation events, the government only supports with funding if there is money available and based on merit,” said Mwiya.

“If we were to pay for all competitions, we would need [something like N$80 billion] to be able to cater for all,” he said.

He further explained that ministries such as health and agriculture will always take precedence in funding allocation. “We can’t do sport without food,” he quipped.


Winners get funded

Mwiya encouraged the travelling chess players to aim for dominance at the event, saying players who excel at international competitions stand a better chance of receiving government funding support.

“If you dominate, you will be supported [financially]. Once we know you’re a winner, we’ll look for the money to assist you in flying the Namibian flag higher,” he said.

Also speaking at the send-off, Namibia Chess Federation president Candidate Master (CM) Charles Eichab expressed confidence in the players’ ability to challenge for podium finishes.

“The AYCC is a long-awaited event for us as a federation. We’ve been coming ever closer to the podium all these years. I hope that we can do it this year, finally,” he said.

CM Eichab added that podium finishes are not new territory for Namibia, as the country has claimed gold medals at the event before.

The players will be looking to live up to the standard set by Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Ottilie “Oyo” Hinda and International Master (IM) Dante Beukes, who claimed gold at the event in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

– mariud@nsh.com.na