WINDHOEK – The newly established Khomas Regional Paralympics Association (KRPA) have promised to directly address the plight of disabled athletes, while also collectively striving to take paralympics sports to greater heights. The association was officially launched late last month in Windhoek, where committee members were officially elected with an ultimate aim of creating a structure that will make paralympic sport more accessible to athletes within the Khomas Region and countrywide. Khomas Region is the first to establish a regional paralympics body. Michael Hamukwaya, a renowned national paralympics coach, is the association’s chairman and Mitch Dewaldt is the vice-chairman. “Finally there is a structure that mediates between clubs and national level, which will ensure a better representation at national paralympic championships,” said Hamukwaya. “Herewith Namibia is aligning with international standards that generally follow a specific task sharing between international, national, regional and club levels,” said Dewaldt. The initiative is supported by an array of people involved in different kinds of paralympic sports, including coaches, managers, teachers, committee members and assistants from different clubs and institutions within the Khomas Region. At the founding meeting, there were also representatives from the Lions Sports Club, Wheel-ability Sports Club, Flamingo Sports Club, Institute for Visually Impaired, Institute for the Hearing Impaired, and representatives of the National Paralympics Committee of Namibia. Khomas Region has now set the example by having formed the first regional paralympics association in the country and hopes to effectively fulfill their tasks and inspire other regions to follow suit. Coming up at the end of September is the National Paralympics Championships of Namibia, and it will be held in Khomas, Windhoek. The KRPA committee will also partly be involved with the organisation of this event.