Botes defies NNOC ban to speak out

THE Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) has barred local sport consultant Quinton-Steele Botes from speaking to the local and international media, before, during and after the Olympic Games due in Greece in August.

But Botes says he will speak to the media despite the ban. The NNOC met on Tuesday night to ‘discipline’ Botes who, according to them, made ‘irresponsible statements’ on a local radio sports programme about two weeks ago.Botes is an executive member of the NNOC and is also a member of the Namibia National Sport Council (NNSC).He said he will continue with his freelance work on radio and for other media institutions on sport-related issues as an individual in a democratic country.”I am a sports consultant and there is no way that I can shut up on sports matters as I am on three different national radio stations each week; do interviews with newspapers almost every day and answer queries from sport organisations in the country regularly.No ways, I will speak to the media,” insisted Botes.He currently operates as an independent sport consultant and is a coach in athletics, conducting coaching courses for administrators and coaches, while also carrying out doping tests for national teams.NNOC Secretary-General Daan Nel confirmed to The Namibian Sport yesterday that Botes was issued with a letter stating that he was officially barred from speaking to the media on matters concerning the Namibian Olympic delegation and the athletes.”From now on, only the Chef de Mission (Eliphas Shipanga), Secretary General (Nel) or the President (Agnes Tjongarero), will speak to the media regarding Namibia’s team to the Olympic Games and related activities.This arrangement will avoid confusion and contradictory statements from the sport authorities and especially on issues regarding the NNOC,” he said.Nel did not want to comment on Botes’ decision to defy the order from the body.Botes has been accused of bringing the NNOC into disrepute with his comments on radio about two weeks ago.Botes told The Namibian Sport yesterday that it was pointless to send more officials than athletes to the Olympic Games for 2004 in Athens, suggesting that the money could have been better used for developing sport in the country.He said he made this comment on radio and angered some of the officials within the NNOC who in turn asked Tjongarero to discipline him (Botes).It is expected to cost the NNOC at least N$80 000 per official they send to the Games which run from August 13 to 29 in Athens.There are 12 officials compared to only six athletes who are expected to leave for the Games early in August.Botes is also a member of the delegation to the Olympic Games and will serve as the Technical expert for the team.Botes also said he had been sidelined because he complained that there was not enough money spent on Namibian sport and that more was needed to improve the standard and competitiveness of sportsmen and women.”We also have a problem of unqualified coaches and this coupled with (the lack of) money is hampering the growth of sport in general,” he said.Nel said Botes knows the channels of communication as well as the situation regarding finances in sport and it was not necessary to go public without checking with the authorities beforehand.The Namibian team to the Olympic Games is as follows:Athletics:Frank Fredericks; Agnes Samaria.Boxing: Paulus Ambunda.Cycling: Mannie Heymans.Shooting: Friedhelm Sack.Wrestling: Nico JacobsGeneral Team Management: Chef de Mission: Eliphas Shipanga, General Team Manager: Popyeni Shikwambi.Boxing Official: Jacob Gariseb.Shooting Official: Andre Malherbe.Wrestling Official: Mitch Ostberg.Physiotherapist: Annamey van der Merwe.Administrator: Marita Ernsting.Technical Staff: Quinton-Steele Botes.Youth Participants:Bertus Louw and Mara-Lee DoisebThe NNOC met on Tuesday night to ‘discipline’ Botes who, according to them, made ‘irresponsible statements’ on a local radio sports programme about two weeks ago.Botes is an executive member of the NNOC and is also a member of the Namibia National Sport Council (NNSC).He said he will continue with his freelance work on radio and for other media institutions on sport-related issues as an individual in a democratic country.”I am a sports consultant and there is no way that I can shut up on sports matters as I am on three different national radio stations each week; do interviews with newspapers almost every day and answer queries from sport organisations in the country regularly.No ways, I will speak to the media,” insisted Botes.He currently operates as an independent sport consultant and is a coach in athletics, conducting coaching courses for administrators and coaches, while also carrying out doping tests for national teams.NNOC Secretary-General Daan Nel confirmed to The Namibian Sport yesterday that Botes was issued with a letter stating that he was officially barred from speaking to the media on matters concerning the Namibian Olympic delegation and the athletes.”From now on, only the Chef de Mission (Eliphas Shipanga), Secretary General (Nel) or the President (Agnes Tjongarero), will speak to the media regarding Namibia’s team to the Olympic Games and related activities.This arrangement will avoid confusion and contradictory statements from the sport authorities and especially on issues regarding the NNOC,” he said.Nel did not want to comment on Botes’ decision to defy the order from the body.Botes has been accused of bringing the NNOC into disrepute with his comments on radio about two weeks ago.Botes told The Namibian Sport yesterday that it was pointless to send more officials than athletes to the Olympic Games for 2004 in Athens, suggesting that the money could have been better used for developing sport in the country.He said he made this comment on radio and angered some of the officials within the NNOC who in turn asked Tjongarero to discipline him (Botes).It is expected to cost the NNOC at least N$80 000 per official they send to the Games which run from August 13 to 29 in Athens.There are 12 officials compared to only six athletes who are expected to leave for the Games early in August.Botes is also a member of the delegation to the Olympic Games and will serve as the Technical expert for the team.Botes also said he had been sidelined because he complained that there was not enough money spent on Namibian sport and that more was needed to improve the standard and competitiveness of sportsmen and women.”We also have a problem of unqualified coaches and this coupled with (the lack of) money is hampering the growth of sport in general,” he said.Nel said Botes knows the channels of communication as well as the situation regarding finances in sport and it was not necessary to go public without checking with the authorities beforehand.The Namibian team to the Olympic Games is as follows:Athletics:Frank Fredericks; Agnes Samaria.Boxing: Paulus Ambunda.Cycling: Mannie Heymans.Shooting: Friedhelm Sack.Wrestling: Nico JacobsGeneral Team Management: Chef de Mission: Eliphas Shipanga, General Team Manager: Popyeni Shikwambi.Boxing Official: Jacob Gariseb.Shooting Official: Andre Malherbe.Wrestling Official: Mitch Ostberg.Physiotherapist: Annamey van der Merwe.Administrator: Marita Ernsting.Technical Staff: Quinton-Steele Botes.Youth Participants:Bertus Louw and Mara-Lee Doiseb