Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Special Olympics Namibia’s football team hopes to make the most of the opportunity to participate in the Unified Cup, which kicks off in Detroit in the United States at the end of this month.
Namibia was a late substitute for Russia, who were barred from the seven-a-side competition. Like all impact substitutes, the team from the Land of the Brave is intent on leaving a mark on the tournament.
Modelled after the Fifa World Cup, the Special Olympics Unified Cup Detroit 2022 will welcome over 300 footballers with and without intellectual disabilities from over 20 nations to compete in football.
Namibia will face a Caribbean team, Guatemala and Slovakia in Group B of the women’s section. Their first match is on 1 August.
“The team is very excited. They’re well prepared. We were entered into the competition last minute, which we are grateful for. Initially, we had just missed out on the competition by very little, but due to Russia not being allowed to compete in the competition, we were the next team in line,” said Special Olympics Namibia national director Werner Jeffery.
“We had a lot of work to do to make this possible in a very short period. But we managed to get the team together. They’ve been together for quite some time now. They’ve been gelling really well. They’ve been training every week and I must say it’s been going well,” Jeffery said.
“I don’t think we’ll just participate, we will actually be fierce competitors when we get to Detroit. Everyone’s really positive.
“The players are really looking forward to it. Competitions like these provide a lot of experience and exposure to our athletes. It’s much needed exposure,” said Jeffery.
The group stage will see each team inside their respective groups playing each other once. The top teams for each gender will advance to Division 1, earning their chance to fight for the Unified Cup. The remaining teams will make up Division 2 and 3 and will play for 1-4 place in their division.
“I’m very excited. Not everyone gets to take part in such things,” said Kristofina Benyameni.
The 17-year-old is a fully fledged international, having represented the Baby Gladiators and is on the books of Namibia Football Association Women’s Super League club V-Power Angels.
She is one of five ‘partners’ in the team who assist six intellectual disability compatriots on and off the field.
It is the central objective of the Unified Cup, a harmonious blending of athletes with disability and those without to play on the same team, demonstrating how playing and competing together breaks down barriers and ultimately creates communities of acceptance and inclusion.
The primary objective of the Special Olympics Unified Cup is to reach and collaborate with professional football clubs, their foundations, and football federations to support the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and the development of Unified Sports.
“We’ve been training a lot. We just have to improve our communication skills. If we do that well, then definitely I’m positive we can make it,” said Benyameni.
The team’s participation at the spectacle is made possible through the continued support of national power utility NamPower.
Along with Namibia, Egypt and Burkina Faso are the other African teams in the women’s draw, with Nigeria and Morocco in the men’s section.
“NamPower is golden, they always come through for us. They are funding this trip and making it possible for us, so we are extremely grateful to NamPower for allowing the athletes to grab this opportunity,” Jeffrey said.
“When we reopened our door three years ago we set out to accommodate new staff, rekindling partnerships and building new ones.
“There is still a lot of work to do. We hope to gain more partnerships, especially in the corporate. Takes quite a lot to keep these programmes running on our own.”
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