The upcoming Pod ium Performance Programme (PPP) training set to take place in Gaborone, Botswana next week is a step in the right direction in terms of enhancing local athletes, the chief administrator of the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) Freddy Mwiya has said.
Namibia will be sending 47 athletes, 10 coaches, 5 technical officials, 2 medical personnel, and 4 media personnel to partake in the initiative to enhance local athletes and officials.
The PPP is taking place on the sidelines of the Botswana Golden Grand Prix athletics event on 29 April 2023.
The purpose of the training is to prepare athletes for upcoming international games, such as the Ghana All-Africa and 2024 Olympic Games.
The PPP aims to enhance athletes’ performance by unleashing their maximum potential in both physical and psychological aspects, which are crucial elements of international games aimed at achieving medals. The athletes and officials will receive high-performance training, tailored to their needs, and delivered by specialists to ensure readiness before international games.
Speaking at the launch yesterday in the capital, Mwiya said that with so many major competitions lined up, it is crucial for Namibia to empower its athletes by providing advanced training. He emphasised that the goal is not just to compete in events, but to collect medals at major competitions.
“Our philosophy, for now, is to equip all top-performing athletes with the right skills and equipment to ensure that when we compete at the highest level, we are collecting medals,” he added.
Salome Iyambo, who is part of the PPP organising committee, emphasised the benefits of the training for Namibia.
“It’s a great initiative because this will greatly benefit our athletes. They will learn so much from other countries, which will help our local athletes in preparations for the main event. This would also give top-performing athletes a fair chance of being selected because it will be based on performance,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mwiya revealed that the MTC Dome has signed an agreement with AUSC Region 5, which will see four athletes from the SADC region being trained at the facility. He said the agreement has come at the right time, as Namibia is busy preparing its athletes for major events.
“It will benefit our athletes, as the AUSC will cater to all logistics. It will also benefit the Namibian economy because these are our local people doing business here for that training. It will encourage us to use our local facilities,” he said.
- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na