Team Namibia will leave on 18 July 2021 for Tokyo, Japan, where a total of 11 athletes will represent the country in various disciplines at the upcoming Olympic Games.

The Games were initially scheduled to take place last year – from 24 July to 9 August, but had to be postponed to this year as a result of the raging Covid-19 pandemic. The multi-sport global showpiece will now start on the 23rd of this month and end on 8 August 2021.

Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) president Abner Xoagub yesterday said Team Namibia, which comprises athletes and officials, will leave the country in two bunches, with the first group jetting off on 18 July and the second expected to leave around 29 July.

Xoagub said the first group will mostly consist of athletes, while the second will include officials and athletes’ managers. 

“Our athletes will travel in the first group and officials in the second group. The Namibian travelling entourage will fly with Germany airline, Lufthansa Airline – from Windhoek, straight to Frankfurt, and then connect to Tokyo. There won’t be a need to travel via Johannesburg, South Africa, anymore, as we can now go straight through Germany,” explained Xoagub.

Namibia will be represented by veteran marathoner Helalia Johannes, long distance runner Rainhold Tomas, sprinters Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, boxer Jonas Junias Jonas, rower Maike Diekmann, cyclists Dan Craven, Vera Adrian, Michelle Vorster and Alexander Miller, as well as swimmer Phillip Seidler.

This year’s Olympics will mark the second time Japan, Tokyo, hosts the event, the first being in 1964, making this the first city in Asia to host the Games twice. 

Overall, it will be the fourth Olympic Games held in Japan, which also hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972 (Sapporo) and 1998 (Nagano). 

This year’s Games will also see the introduction of new competitions, including 3x3 basketball, freestyle BMX, madison cycling and other mixed events.

- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na