Usakos Sports Festival returns after COVID-19-induced sabbatical

By Confidente Reporter

The Engen One-Stop Usakos Festival, which has established itself as one of the top sporting and social events in the Erongo region, will return in December this year after a three-year absence owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preparations for the festival, which will be held in Usakos during the weekend of December 1- 3, are in full swing.
The festival is well-known for drawing enormous crowds of former footballers, entrepreneurs, scouts, and music fans from around the country to witness the finest rural sports development offers.
This year’s festival will feature four sports codes: soccer, netball, volleyball, and a half marathon, as well as a live music show on Saturday night.
N$ 50,000 is set aside for prize awards, including medals, trophies, and cash.

The festival was held annually between 2015 and 2019, with great success each time.
“We (Orano Mining Namibia) have been involved in this project since the beginning, back in 2015.

When we received the sponsorship request, we reacted immediately because we understand what it means to the people of Erongo region, particularly in terms of using sports as a vehicle to accomplish socioeconomic transformation, intending to add value to people’s livelihoods,” said Orano Mining’s Hilifa Mbako in a speech made on his behalf.
Irene Simeon-Kurtz, one of the festival’s initiators, said the past three years have demonstrated how vital and impactful this sporting event has been to aspiring sports players, fans, and the local economy of not only Usakos but also the broader community of the Erongo region.

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