WINDHOEK – Alna Similo was elected as the new president of Athletics Namibia (AN) during a congress held in Windhoek on Saturday, to become the first ever woman to head the federation.
The congress, held at the Tabitha Conference Centre, was attended by Namibia Sports Commission Athletics Commissioner Elize Petersen and AN’s regional and council members who flocked the gathering, which ran very smoothly and was rated as highly successful.
Similo, who was serving as acting president following the unceremonious departure of former AN president Frank Fredericks, will be deputised by a team of four vice-presidents consisting of Modestus Mwiila, Dennis Skrywer, Xenia Pieterse and Martha Emvula. The newly elected leadership will head the federation for the next three years.
The secretary general position hasn’t yet been filled but will in the interim be headed by
Frank Slabbert, a well respected sport administrator.
In tandem with this arrangement, AN has identified a suitable candidate within the ranks of the federation who will be groomed under the guidance of the highly experienced Slabbert, a practice they say is part of AN’s skills enhancing and succession planning initiatives. A number of other vacant positions on the AN Council were also filled.
By Otniel Hembapu