After lucrative competitive outings that saw Namibia bag over 50 medals at various international competitions last year in spite of Covid-19 threats, the Namibia Schools Sport Union (NSSU) is looking forward to even better results this year.
NSSU national coordinator Solly Duiker said 2021 was a tough year with regard to the impact of Covid-19 on schools’ sports.
“Some of the scheduled activities were affected due to Covid-19. That means various athletes were denied opportunities to excel in what they are good at,” he told New Era Sport.
Duiker, however, noted that there were indeed some positives, such as the U/15 World School Sport in Serbia, which saw Namibia collect 15 medals.
“That was a huge milestone for a country such as Namibia,” he said proudly.
Another exciting moment for schools’ sports was the 38 medals claimed at last year’s Region 5 Games held in Maseru, Lesotho.
The veteran sports administrator is optimistic to build on all that success.
“We are hoping funding from government will be better. This will create more conducive spaces to nurture talent and host more competitions,” he said.
Some of the events the NSSU is busy planning for this year include the usual zonal and regional athletics and ball games competitions, which will culminate in national champions later in the year.
Debmarine Namibia has also since come on board and will sponsor several regional events.
“The Debmarine athletics competitions are the old Coca-Cola competitions. We expect all these competitions to be more exciting,” he said.
The annual Westphalia football U/17 tour to Germany is planned for April; Confederation of School Sport Associations of Southern Africa (Cossasa) Athletics in Botswana in May; and the U/18 World School Sport Games in France, also in May. The national U/17 Relay championships, which made its debut last year, will return for another exciting edition.
The Cossasa Ball Games are planned for Zambia in August, as well as the U/16 Solly Duiker & U/18 Hage Geingob Trials on a date still to be announced.
“These are all big competitions to look forward to,” Duiker said.
- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na