Disunity in ranks as Paralympic team announced 

The Namibian team competing at the Paris Paralympic Games was announced yesterday amid concerns about an unsanctioned training camp in The Netherlands.

The team comprises five athletes and six guides, as well as 12 management members, including three coaches.

The athletes are Ananias Shikongo, Johannes Nambala, Lahja Ishitile, Chris Kinda and Petrus Karuli; the guides are Even Tjiuiu, Sem Shimanda, Onesmus Nekundi, Sydney Kamuuaruma, Hatago Murere and Kelvin Goagoseb; and the coaches are Letu Hamhola, T’Neil Young and Belinda Oberholster.

The rest of the management consists of team manager Agnes Hausiku; team administrator Suzette Guims; president and secretary general of the Namibia National Paralympic Committee (NNPC) Johannes Litwayi and Mike Hamukwaya, respectively; physiotherapist Ruan Mocke; medic Simon O’Brien; attache Tangi Le Guennec, journalist Hesron Kapanga; and Namibia Sport Commission chief administrator Freddy Mwiya, who is accompanying the team as the NNPC’s guest.

At yesterday’s press conference, concern was raised about the athletes’ preparations, with most of the athletes currently in The Netherlands on a training camp not authorised by the NNPC.

“We heard that they are camping in The Netherlands but we were not informed about it,” Hamukwaya said.

“It has become a bit of an issue because we don’t even know who is funding the team, while one of the athletes, Petrus Karuli, is still here with us. We would have preferred to have all our athletes together in one pool, preparing for the Paralympics together,” he added.

“We don’t have the funds to prepare the athletes because we are still waiting for the budget to be approved and to receive funds from the government,” he noted.

Hamukwaya said he was aware of two athletes – Shikongo and Nambala – that went to The Netherlands as part of the Sports for Movement organisation, which has offices in Namibia and The Netherlands. However, he did not know who the other athletes were or who was funding them.

“Ananias and Johannes went under the Sports for Movement organisation in Holland after the Paralympic World Championships – we were informed by their coach. But the rest of the athletes, we don’t even know who they are and we distance ourselves from that team as a committee,” Hamukwaya said.

Litwayi confirmed that they have no knowledge of the training camp.

“This is sad news. We as the management of the NNPC board are the ones to facilitate all the programmes in the country and also to send away the team to participate in international games, so I, as the president, am supposed to give my blessing to send them away.

“The athletes left the country without my knowledge as president, without the knowledge of the vice president or other board members, so we don’t know who facilitated this programme,” he said.

“Whatever will happen that side, the call will come and I as the president will have to respond, but how can I answer for something that I don’t know about?” Litwayi said.