Sports

Career achievements: Winning four Namibia Premier League (NPL) titles with Black Africa, winning the 2015 Cosafa Cup with Brave Warriors and playing at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

What does the word ‘Athlete’ mean to you? I would bet that your answer is different than the next person reading this article. If asked, some might say an athlete is someone who competes in sport, while others might contend that an athlete is someone who has excellent coordination and is capable of explosive movements.

It has been almost more than two weeks since the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) gave the nod to various non-contact sport codes to resume training under stipulated rules and regulations.

Given our young democracy, the one thing we should have learnt never to repeat is to discriminate. Discrimination in any form or colour destroys, whether it’s in politics or otherwise.

Heartfelt tributes yesterday poured in from all corners of the country as Namibian football mourns the untimely death of former Tigers Football Club midfield maestro Nathaniel “Alele” Kapule, who died Sunday at age 51 in Windhoek.

Namibian rugby legend Jacques Burger has launched a withering attack on the self-interests holding back the development of rugby in his home country. The celebrated former Saracens back row was capped 36 times for the Welwitschias and represented his country at three World Cups.

As sport activities are slowly returning in various parts of the world, Namibia recently followed suit when it announced the unbanning of various non-contact sport codes, allowing them to return to training grounds but under strict conditions.

Another tragedy has befallen the Namibian football fraternity at large with the sad passing of former Eleven Arrows and South West Africa (SWA) Bantu Invitational likeable giant shot-stopper Ben Tembo, aka “Oom Ben”, as the much-adored man of the cloth was affectionately known amongst his congregation.

Have you ever thought of reasons why good athletes get suspended, omitted from national squads or have a very short career while they seemed to have immense potential? Let me put forward one of the main reasons – discipline. 

Firebrand trade unionist, sport and labour consultant Olsen Kahiriri is going after the properties of the beleaguered Namibia Football Players Union (NAFPU) in a bid to recoup more than N$122 000 owed to him by the union.