On 19 April 2008 talented youth from Opuwo, Oshakati, Oshivelo, Rundu, Tsumkwe, Khorixas, Swakopmund, Windhoek, Gobabis and Keetmanshoop gathered in Gobabis to participate in the annual Kicking AIDS Out Youth Sport Festival. The sport codes played were U18 girl’s football, U16 boy’s football and U18 mixed volleyball.
SCORE Namibia, an NGO using sport as a tool for development, is working in all the communities that took part in this event. In March all the communities hosted Independence Day tournaments, and the winning teams from these tournaments qualified for the Youth Sport Festival in Gobabis.
There were 400 excited youth that arrived in Gobabis on Friday the 18th of April. From seven in the morning on Saturday until late in the evening football and volleyball games were played. Between the matches the teams participated in Kicking AIDS Out activities that provide HIV and AIDS awareness and teach life skills through sport and games. Take Control campaign messages were discussed during these activities, focusing on how youth can use positive relationships to fight the spread of HIV.
On the fields the teams where competing fairly and after a long day with many matches the finalists where ready to play the final games. In volleyball Rundu defeated Gobabis in a tight game, Tsumkwe ended third after beating Keetmanshoop in the bronze medal final. In the girls football Keetmanshoop played Oshakati and won 1-0, Khorixas ended third and Gobabis fourth. The Oshakati team also played in the boy’s football final against Swakopmund. Oshakati won 1-0. In the bronze medal final Oshivelo beat Tsumkwe in a penalty shootout.
In the spirit of Fair Play, awards were given to one team from each sport code for demonstrating fair play and sportsmanship throughout the Festival; Tsumkwe for volleyball, Khorixas for girls football and Oshakati for boys football. A true test to the spirit of the teams came during the bronze medal game for the girls, with Khorixas playing against Keetmanshoop while some sprinklers were spraying water on the field. Both teams decided to play through the “rain” instead of delaying the program.
Thanks to the support of the Kicking AIDS Out network, UNICEF and the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture’s Directorate of Sport, and local sponsors, all the participants returned to their communities on Sunday after a successful weekend. In their luggage they brought new friendships from all over Namibia and awareness about HIV and AIDS, learned in a different way through Kicking AIDS Out!