Windhoek
Namibia will compete in the 11th edition of the All African Games, which gets underway in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa tomorrow.
Both the men and women’s senior national hockey teams will compete against 11 men and nine women’s sides for a single spot for each of the men and women’s teams at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Only the winner in the men’s category will qualify for the Olympics.
Congo-Brazzaville is not participating in hockey; as a result South Africa was awarded the hosting rights a few weeks ago after the initial host, Egypt, could not guarantee the safety of participating teams and officials.
Both Namibian teams have been hard at work preparing for this prestigious event, training four times a week. As part of their preparations, the teams used the annual South African Inter-Provincial Tournament in Potchefstroom (women) and Pretoria (men) in August, as a springboard.
The women’s team finished joint top, alongside Western Province, while the men’s side claimed a bronze medal. The teams departed yesterday in an effort to acclimatise to the weather conditions, while wrapping up their final training sessions in South Africa before they knuckle down to some serious business.