Maurice Kambukwe

Although non-contact sport codes in the country have been given the green light to resume training activities, it however remains a challenge for some codes to smoothly go about their business due to various strict safety measures and regulations under Covid-19.
Swimming was among the eight non-contact sport codes permitted by the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) to resume training but it has not been easy for the country’s swimmers who are finding it hard to carry out training activities under the new safety regulations.

Namibia Swimming Union (NSU) secretary general Nicky McNamara says even though training has begun, social distancing remains a challenge as they can no longer train like they used to. “Training has started and it has been going well, though it’s a little frustrating that we can no longer train with the same number of swimmers like before due to social distancing. We used to train in a group of 20 swimmers but now we are only allowed to bring in 10 swimmers, which is quite a challenge too because we would have liked to practise with all swimmers at once,” says McNamara.

Despite social distancing challenges, McNamara adds that it is however good to see how everyone is adhering to the set rules and regulations.
“It’s good to see everyone back and equally good to see how clubs are adhering to the rules and measures put in place. Clubs have done a very good job … especially at training sessions. Hand sanitisers and masks are always available for use before and after training, which is a huge step in making sure the spread of this disease is mitigated. Everyone is happy to be back although we are not certain when we will be able to host our next event. It’s a good thing that we are keeping the swimmers busy with training for them to ensure fitness levels are well.” 
McNamara remains hopeful they will soon be back with more competitions in the near future once the Covid-19 pandemic has been minimised.
“We are not certain about having any activities anytime soon as we will wait to be guided on the way forward by the authorities, but we are hopeful everything will get back to normal and swimmers be back in the pool.”
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na