With less than 92 days left before the Olympic Games kick off in Paris, France, Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) secretary general Joan Smit has assured the nation that more spots are within reach for Namibian athletes as qualification deadlines approach.
Addressing the media in the capital yesterday, Smit expressed confidence in the athletes’ abilities to secure qualification for the country.
“We still have many upcoming events for athletes to try and qualify,” she stated.
“As we know, the athletics season has just begun, and we are confident that Namibia will secure spots at those upcoming competitions. At this critical juncture, we ask fans to lend their unwavering support to our athletes as they strive for Olympic qualification,” said Smit. Currently, only two Namibian athletes have qualified for the prestigious games –Vera Looser in road cycling and swimmer Phillip Seidler.
The likes of archer Quinn Reddig are gearing up to compete in a qualification event in Antalya, Turkey in May, while Ronan Wantenaar, who impressed at this year’s All-Africa Games in Ghana, is expected to participate in a qualifying event in Singapore at a date which will be announced soon.
More athletes participating in similar disciplines like Looser, Seidler and Reddig have a qualification deadline set for 8 July.
With the athletics season currently underway, track and field athletes are poised to compete in various qualifying events.
The likes of Simon Paulus, Paulus Iiyambo, Jeremia Shaliaxwe and Tomas Rainhold are preparing for an event in Durban, South Africa this weekend.
All sports disciplines have different qualification deadlines, but for track and field, it is 30 June.
Despite an initial setback for boxers in Busto Arsizio, Italy earlier this year, hope remains as Try-Again Ndevelo and Jonas Junias gear up for another shot at qualification in Bangkok from 21 May to 2 June.
In efforts to motivate and rally support for athletes striving to qualify, the NNOC will this weekend stage an activation at Windhoek’s Wernhil Park. Fans will have the opportunity to meet their favourite athletes, offer words of encouragement, and show unwavering support as they pursue Olympic qualification.
It will be Namibia’s ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics since the nation’s official debut in 1992 at the Barcelona Games, where they fielded a total of six athletes in three sports. This remains the lowest number of Namibian athletes to date.
Remarkably, at that historic event, Namibia clinched two of the five medals the country holds to date, courtesy of former sprinter Frank Fredericks. Four years later, Fredericks again won two silvers.
The highest number of athletes Namibia has sent to the Olympics is 11 – achieved twice in 2000 in Sydney and the last Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan from 23 July to 8 August 2022, when sprinter Christine Mboma won a silver medal in the 200m dash.
The lowest number of Namibian athletes ever at the Summer Games was in 1992.
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na