Namibia’s young rugby sensation Helarius Kisting, who is currently based in Romania, recently spoke to NBC Sport on how he has been coping with Covid-19 and how he continues to keep fit despite the worldwide lockdown on sporting activities.
The 26-year old Namibian fly-half, who plays for CSM Baia Mare and resides in the city of Mare in Romania, said although all sporting activities in that country have come to a standstill, he continues to keep active through training.
Romania recorded over 6 300 confirmed cases of coronavirus and new cases continue to be experienced in various parts of that country. Romania has been on lockdown since 15 March.
The Mariental-born fly-half, like most athletes worldwide, is trying to keep his head above water using different means to stay active and fit during the lockdown.
“We have been in isolation for almost a month now and it is really getting mentally challenging, especially for those of us who love to be outdoors and do what we love to do. It’s really tough,” said Kisting.
Kisting, who was a star player for Namibia at last year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan, has managed to get some help from the club by means of equipment to assist him remain fit and stay conditioned. His two-year contract with CSM Baia Mare comes to an end next year December.
The Namibian and his teammates are, however, not being paid by the club during this time, but have been getting some form of compensation from the Romanian government instead.
“We, the foreign players are lucky; now that everything is closed and all sport activities are cancelled, we have been integrated into the Romanian unemployment salary gap, so they still compensate us a certain amount of money for the time being,” explained Kisting.
In a message of solidarity for those at home in Namibia, Kisting said: “All I can say to people back home is just be a little bit serious. I know we are young and we just want to get out but protect other people as you are protecting yourself. I know it’s mentally challenging, but stay at home and stay safe. The virus doesn’t move; we are the ones moving the virus when we leave our homes, so if you stay home, the virus is not going to move at all.” – NBC Sports