Costa Seibeb will not race for the country at major international competitions until the end of next year, after his suspension was upheld by the Namibia Sport Commission and Namibia National Olympic Committee on Wednesday.
The star rider was hit with a 23-month sanction by the Namibia Cycling Federation in early February, after withdrawing from the national team to compete in the African Continental Road Race Championships in South Africa at short notice and without a valid reason.
Yesterday, newly appointed NNOC president Abner Xoagub said Seibeb’s dispute with the NCF had been resolved in totality after considering both parties’ positions.
“There was no disciplinary hearing held because it would mean having a lengthy and unnecessary process. We listened to the athlete to get his side of the story and we also met the cycling federation and all parties agreed with the final decision,” Xoagub told reporters at a press conference in Windhoek.
Seibeb was accused of being in breach of an agreement with the federation pertaining to the conduct of a member of the national team.
Arguably the country’s best road cyclist at the moment, he was expected to champion Namibia’s pursuit of a place at the 2016 Olympics by helping the team attain a podium place at the African cycling championships, which serves as a qualifying event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
However, his absence and the team’s subsequent underwhelming performances meant they did not qualify for the global sport spectacle.
“We want to make it clear that the athlete is not banned. He can still take part in competitions locally. We explained this to him and he understands and accepts the action taken,” said Xoagub.
“We also want to make it clear that discipline does not mean punishment but is rehabilitative. We are human and we all make mistakes but we need to take responsibility for these mistakes,” he added.
NCF head Mannie Heymans and Seibeb said they had already buried the hatchet and were keen on rekindling their working relationship.
“I’m just glad that this thing has been settled and we can put it behind us. I think it was taken out of proportion and we had already sorted this out before it made headlines,” said Heymans.
“There is an open door policy at the cycling federation. This is not the end of the world. This Olympics won’t be the last. He’s still young and has a bright future ahead of him,” he added.
For his part, Seibeb said: “I’m not angry. I’m happy it’s over because it was affecting my mind and it was hard to focus on my races. I will be fully focused, work hard and will work together with you [cycling federation].”
