NAMIBIA National Olympic Committee (NNOC) president Ndeulipulwa Hamutumwa has applauded the government for its proactive approach in supporting the young athletes currently in Luanda, Angola, for the Africa Youth Games.
The youth games, which kicked off on 10 December and conclude on Saturday, serve as qualifiers for the Dakar Olympic Games in Senegal in 2026.
“This was made possible first and foremost by the Namibian government,” Hamutumwa says.
“We have spent some resources to make sure we first dress up the athletes and get them to the competition. We are also confident that the NNOC, together with the government, work hand-in-hand to make sure that those athletes that are identified and qualified are adequately prepared at the beginning of the year.”
This, he says, allows the committee to prepare the athletes that are ready to compete and possibly win medals.
The NNOC president says many sport activities are set to take place in the sport calendar, including the Commonwealth Games slated for next year.
Hamutumwa praises the government and president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah for having prioritised sport.
“I think these are some of the dividends we are seeing by just investing in the young people to participate in sport.”
Hamutumwa says he is convinced that the young athletes competing at the Africa Youth Games are the ones Namibia is going to see in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (United States) and Brisbane (Australia).
“It is very important that we are diversifying our potential and athletes who can medal in any other competition,” Hamutumwa says.
Unlike in the past when Namibia focused on a few sport codes, for the current Africa Youth Games, the country is competing in various sport codes including the newly introduced golf in the Olympic family.
“I am happy to say that Namibia is really getting some quality athletes, and they should be able to have a very strong team to represent our country next year in Dakar,” Hamutumwa says.
He says it is important for Namibia to explore and develop some of the new sport codes to move away from conventional and traditional sport.
Hamutumwa, who just arrived from Luanda, says Namibia bagged about 10 medals before he left, a milestone some other countries are yet to achieve.
He says the country witnessed great results from swimming, golf and the track events.
“We are doing very well in other sport codes with some athletes having clocked their personal best times.
“The team that we sent to Angola are athletes we felt are very strong. That is why we are able to pick up great results,” he says.
“Yes we are doing exceptionally well compared to other African countries. If you recall we held the Southern African Development Community Youth Games (Region 5 Games) where Namibia did very well.
He says some of the athletes who participated in those games took part in the school’s games in Algeria.
“That helped us to apply ourselves and acclimatise to the position, allowing us to form a team that is very competitive.
“We had to take a team that is very strong to Angola because these games are key for qualification to the first-ever youth Olympic Games to be hosted on African soil.”
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