From the Sidelines

SPORT in Namibia during the year under review produced a bag of mixed results, meaning that it was exceptional for some sportsmen and women, while some have failed to capitalise on their chances in their respective codes.

This year, individual athletes instead of team sports made headlines, a scenario which is increasingly becoming popular as these sportsmen and women are aspiring to move into the paid ranks. As customary, I will take you through some of the major achievements, failures, highs and lows on the domestic scene.Newsmakers for 2006 Athletics Namibia president Alpha Kangueehi (for the second year in a row), for surviving a major push for his exit by affiliates after the intervention of the IAAF.Namibia Football Association (NFA) president John Muinjo, for taking over the hot seat from Judge Petrus Damaseb, a brand new executive committee and bringing in new Brave Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile.Eliphas Shipanga, for becoming the first person to honourably relinquish the position of Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) secretary general after charges of assault.It seldom happens in Namibian sporting circles.Brave Warriors midfielder Collin Benjamin, for becoming the first Namibian to play in the coveted Uefa Champions League this year, against Arsenal for that matter.Minister of Sport John Mutorwa, who had to extinguish fires in codes such as rugby, football and athletics.Diplomacy and a broad knowledge on the rules of the game have done the trick.Shockers Carol Garoes for being re-elected as the All Namibia Netball Association (ANNA) president after calls for her head over the years.The affiliates keep on making the same mistake and as a result suffer the consequences.AN president Alpha Kangueehi, for confirming in an newspaper article that he wants to get rid of all whites in athletics.NFA acting secretary general Barry Rukoro, for saying the body decided to send an under-17 side to the Cosafa under 20 tournament to gain exposure and experience and then saying that they lost their matches due to a lack of experience.Best teams The Namibian senior rugby team, for qualifying for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.Namibia will play for the third time at the world showpiece.Premiership defending champions Civics, for winning their second league title and grabbing the FNB Cup.Two-time FNB Cup finalists African Stars, who looked sharp in all their encounters since the opening of the league.A team to watch next year.The Namibian senior women’s side, the Brave Gladiators, for bringing home a silver medal from the Cosafa Cup.The under-20 netball side, which performed excellently during the Zone Six Youth Games held in Windhoek in June.They claimed silver after losing to South Africa in the final.The Namibian senior cricket side, for regaining their form in the SAA-sponsored cricket tournament by posting great wins after missing the ship to the 2007 World Cup earlier this year.Worst teams Both the Brave Warriors and the under-20 national football side for losing matches on home ground.Some members of the boxing team who reportedly stole items from their chalets after the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.Premiership side Eleven Arrows, which has been struggling to find form over many seasons, but amazingly manage to survive the chop each season.Pick it up Arrows! Great efforts Table-tennis mentor Mrs Goebel, for consistently gunning for the uplifting of the sport in schools and on national level.New Namibia Sport Commission member Charles Nyambe for ensuring that the people with disabilities in sport are not forgotten by hosting events such as the Special Olympics Day and bringing these children to their heroes.Namibia Rugby Union president Dirk Conradie in steering the administration of rugby into sensible direction, despite a number of internal problems which still need to be addressed.Tigers, Civics and Orlando Pirates managements in trying to move the teams into professional entities through fundraising efforts and the sale of club merchandise.Development programmes in junior hockey, swimming and cycling, which have so far produced some fine athletes.Blue Waters owner Hendrik Dawids for giving John Muinjo a run for his money during the NFA presidential elections.Best players and achievers Boxers Paulus ‘The Hitman’ Moses and Japhet Uutoni, for their marvellous individual performances in the ring during the year.Long-distance runner Hilaria Johannes, for an exceptional year on the local, regional and international stages.Footballers Rudi Louw, Heinrich Isaacks, Victor Helu, Freedom Puriza, Brian Gurirab, William Chilufya, Andrew Tjahikika and goalkeeper Arnold Subeb for their commitment to the game and fantastic play.Friedhelm Sack for showing that age is nothing but a number, as he returned with a bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games in the shooting discipline.Swimmers Quinton Deli, Byron Briedenhann and Tristan McDonald who are expected to make more waves for the 2007 season.Young but awesome.Worst players All foreign-based football players who waste the money of the NFA by failing to produce the goods for the national team.Thumbs up Minister of Sport John Mutorwa for leaving the affairs of athletics in the hands of the administrators, despite his efforts in trying to resolve the issues of leadership.The NFA in a drive to improve its human resources base at Soccer House.The First National Bank of Namibia for a well-marketed tournament that saw a record attendance of over 5 000 people from especially the African Stars camp.One Africa television’s ‘OFF SIDE’ football show that focuses on the domestic game.Thumbs down The delay in the starting of the premier league (for how many times now?) Infighting among officials in sport which ultimately affect the performance of the athletes.Corrupt officials who disregard the rule of law to serve their own interests.The Windhoek City Council for charging exorbitant fees at the Sam Nujoma Stadium and for not maintaining the field to expected standards.Hopes for 2007 That the NFA will introduce new structures such as the coaches’ committee and players’ committee for all to make a collective contribution to the advancement of the game.That there will be little interference from Government in sport, with a view that each code should learn to solve its own domestic affairs, and most importantly adhere to their constitutions.That the Namibian sports teams in all codes get used to winning, and not only to participate and claim that they did well despite losing.That the Brave Warriors qualify for the Nations Cup.That companies will come to the fore in a major way to support struggling sport codes and help athletes in achieving their goals.Kudos to MTC.That Namibia once again becomes a dominant force on the southern African sporting front and that all administrators work for the benefit of the athletes, instead of the other way around.As customary, I will take you through some of the major achievements, failures, highs and lows on the domestic scene.Newsmakers for 2006 Athletics Namibia president Alpha Kangueehi (for the second year in a row), for surviving a major push for his exit by affiliates after the intervention of the IAAF.Namibia Football Association (NFA) president John Muinjo, for taking over the hot seat from Judge Petrus Damaseb, a brand new executive committee and bringing in new Brave Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile.Eliphas Shipanga, for becoming the first person to honourably relinquish the position of Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) secretary general after charges of assault.It seldom happens in Namibian sporting circles.Brave Warriors midfielder Collin Benjamin, for becoming the first Namibian to play in the coveted Uefa Champions League this year, against Arsenal for that matter.Minister of Sport John Mutorwa, who had to extinguish fires in codes such as rugby, football and athletics.Diplomacy and a broad knowledge on the rules of the game have done the trick.Shockers Carol Garoes for being re-elected as the All Namibia Netball Association (ANNA) president after calls for her head over the years.The affiliates keep
on making the same mistake and as a result suffer the consequences.AN president Alpha Kangueehi, for confirming in an newspaper article that he wants to get rid of all whites in athletics.NFA acting secretary general Barry Rukoro, for saying the body decided to send an under-17 side to the Cosafa under 20 tournament to gain exposure and experience and then saying that they lost their matches due to a lack of experience.Best teams The Namibian senior rugby team, for qualifying for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.Namibia will play for the third time at the world showpiece.Premiership defending champions Civics, for winning their second league title and grabbing the FNB Cup.Two-time FNB Cup finalists African Stars, who looked sharp in all their encounters since the opening of the league.A team to watch next year.The Namibian senior women’s side, the Brave Gladiators, for bringing home a silver medal from the Cosafa Cup.The under-20 netball side, which performed excellently during the Zone Six Youth Games held in Windhoek in June.They claimed silver after losing to South Africa in the final.The Namibian senior cricket side, for regaining their form in the SAA-sponsored cricket tournament by posting great wins after missing the ship to the 2007 World Cup earlier this year.Worst teams Both the Brave Warriors and the under-20 national football side for losing matches on home ground.Some members of the boxing team who reportedly stole items from their chalets after the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.Premiership side Eleven Arrows, which has been struggling to find form over many seasons, but amazingly manage to survive the chop each season.Pick it up Arrows! Great efforts Table-tennis mentor Mrs Goebel, for consistently gunning for the uplifting of the sport in schools and on national level.New Namibia Sport Commission member Charles Nyambe for ensuring that the people with disabilities in sport are not forgotten by hosting events such as the Special Olympics Day and bringing these children to their heroes.Namibia Rugby Union president Dirk Conradie in steering the administration of rugby into sensible direction, despite a number of internal problems which still need to be addressed.Tigers, Civics and Orlando Pirates managements in trying to move the teams into professional entities through fundraising efforts and the sale of club merchandise.Development programmes in junior hockey, swimming and cycling, which have so far produced some fine athletes.Blue Waters owner Hendrik Dawids for giving John Muinjo a run for his money during the NFA presidential elections.Best players and achievers Boxers Paulus ‘The Hitman’ Moses and Japhet Uutoni, for their marvellous individual performances in the ring during the year.Long-distance runner Hilaria Johannes, for an exceptional year on the local, regional and international stages.Footballers Rudi Louw, Heinrich Isaacks, Victor Helu, Freedom Puriza, Brian Gurirab, William Chilufya, Andrew Tjahikika and goalkeeper Arnold Subeb for their commitment to the game and fantastic play. Friedhelm Sack for showing that age is nothing but a number, as he returned with a bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games in the shooting discipline.Swimmers Quinton Deli, Byron Briedenhann and Tristan McDonald who are expected to make more waves for the 2007 season.Young but awesome.Worst players All foreign-based football players who waste the money of the NFA by failing to produce the goods for the national team.Thumbs up Minister of Sport John Mutorwa for leaving the affairs of athletics in the hands of the administrators, despite his efforts in trying to resolve the issues of leadership.The NFA in a drive to improve its human resources base at Soccer House.The First National Bank of Namibia for a well-marketed tournament that saw a record attendance of over 5 000 people from especially the African Stars camp.One Africa television’s ‘OFF SIDE’ football show that focuses on the domestic game.Thumbs down The delay in the starting of the premier league (for how many times now?) Infighting among officials in sport which ultimately affect the performance of the athletes.Corrupt officials who disregard the rule of law to serve their own interests.The Windhoek City Council for charging exorbitant fees at the Sam Nujoma Stadium and for not maintaining the field to expected standards.Hopes for 2007 That the NFA will introduce new structures such as the coaches’ committee and players’ committee for all to make a collective contribution to the advancement of the game.That there will be little interference from Government in sport, with a view that each code should learn to solve its own domestic affairs, and most importantly adhere to their constitutions.That the Namibian sports teams in all codes get used to winning, and not only to participate and claim that they did well despite losing.That the Brave Warriors qualify for the Nations Cup.That companies will come to the fore in a major way to support struggling sport codes and help athletes in achieving their goals.Kudos to MTC.That Namibia once again becomes a dominant force on the southern African sporting front and that all administrators work for the benefit of the athletes, instead of the other way around.