Aerobic gymnastics course in Swakopmund

WINDHOEK – The first-ever aerobic gymnastics coaching course is underway in Swakopmund with three qualified International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) instructors.

A group of 40 participants from all 14 regions in Namibia are attending the nine-day level-one course from 3 to 11 October.

Instructors Khadidja Zeroc from Algeria, Eva Szloboda from Hungary and Tammy Johnson from South Africa, who is the course leader, arrived in Namibia on Sunday.

Aerobic gymnastics combines aerobics, acrobatic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and artistic gymnastics along with music, dance and choreography.

Speaking to Nampa on Monday, the Erongo region sport officer Selma Siwombe, who is also the president of aerobic gymnastics in Namibia, said the course will empower local teachers and community members with the knowledge of the sport.

“The ministry has approved to implement gymnastics as a sport in all the regions and we are going to start at the grassroots level. That is why we are going to train teachers and community members with the latest knowledge of the sport so they can start identifying athletes from the grassroots level.”

Siwombe added that coaches all over the country have been identified but they do not have the basic knowledge of the sport, which sometimes makes it difficult to identify or train the talented athletes.

“Gymnastics is a complicated sport, which has different disciplines and it’s a very technical sport, not like soccer, which is simple to identify talent in.

“We want these selected individuals to at least know the different disciplines of the sport plus how they work, which in the future will help the ministry in developing the sport throughout the country,” said Siwombe. – Nampa

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