Hilma Nalupe

The Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) sent off a team of judo and athletics athletes from the Namibia Deaf Sports Federation together with Namibia Deaf Sports Federation personnel to participate in the Deaflympics taking place from 15 to 26 November in Tokyo, Japan.

The 18-person team, consisting of two judo and athletics athletes, three captains, two team medics, a media representative, a translator, and the president of the federation, departed yesterday afternoon for Tokyo.

Abner Sheya, president of the Namibia Deaf Sports Federation, was proud and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to attend, as this was the first time the federation had participated in an international event. 

“This is the first time the federation has participated in the Olympics and marks a significant milestone. The athletes will be taking part in the judo and athletics competitions and hope to bring back medals and make the country proud,” Sheya said.

Captain of the judo team, Peter Uushona said the team is very excited and ready to come back with medals. 

“We have been training for a while now, and I feel that we are ready to do our best out there,” Uushona said.

The team has received N$470 000 to enable them to travel and participate in the Olympics, with N$400 000 coming directly from the Ministry of Sport and N$70 000 from the Namibia Sports Commission. 

Chief administrator of the NSC, Freddy Mwiya, described the team’s participation in the Deaflympics as a testament to inclusivity in the sports fraternity and the support they received as a testament to Namibian unity. 

“We are glad that we are able to send this team to the Olympics for the first time. This is not only a testimony of inclusivity, but also a testament of one Namibia, one nation and a testimony of togetherness,” Mwiya echoed. 

-hilmanalupe@gmail.com