Carlos Kambaekwa
Let me doff my korrie off for the Africa International Management Services (AIMS) School of Sport, under the watch of retired footie Reinholdt Miga Xoagub, for its long-overdue initiative under the theme ‘Professionalising Sport through Education’.
The programme was launched through a glamorous reception at a local hotel earlier this week amidst much fanfare, and was wholly attended by the who’s who in sporting circles.
Amongst the attendants were former national rugby 15 lanky forward Sarel Losper and his equally-talented sporting spouse Beatrice, former Ghosts goalpoacher Ishmael ‘Lemmy Special’ Narib and his striking partner Michael ‘Ou Pine’ Pienaar snr, Mabos Vries, Willem ‘Botsotso’ Nanub, Jacky Gertze, Rusten Mogane and Namibia’s internationally-acclaimed retired sprinter Frank Fredericks.
The latter was amongst the keynote speakers at the gathering, and yours truly must confess his emotional, well-articulated presentation certainly captured the imagination of those who cared to lent an ear.
Fredericks emphasised the importance of education and potential pitfalls awaiting talented athletes if their paths are not properly taken care of.
For the first time in his illustrious sporting career, the much-adored, articulate retired sprinting sensation came out of his shell as he told his real story in full detail, narrating the hardships of a black child growing up in the dusty streets of Katutura amongst toxic friends, and how life at boarding school completely changed his outlook on life.
Fredericks warned against cutting corners, and urged athletes to guard against the evils of society and other potential distractions.
He pleaded for the immediate establishment of athlete friendly learning institutions, and urged aspiring athletes to start treating sport as a serious life-changing career path.
The newly-introduced AIMS School of Sport is like Manna sent from Heaven as such a long-overdue project will greatly benefit less-privileged, needy athletes to realise their dreams, subsequently unleashing their full potential without any hindrance. It’s my humble plea to all stakeholders to join hands and throw our weight behind this commendable initiative from a well-meaning institution, whollyowned by indigenous Namibians.
Lower your expectations
There has been a profoundly upsetting trend on social media that has escalated into users resorting to unprovoked tribal slurs and the usage of improper language, venting their anger at the apparent lukewarm performances of our national senior football team, the Brave Warriors. Namibia’s 3-1 defeat at the paws of the Lions of Teranga has triggered anger amongst certain quarters of society.
Fair enough, people will always have isolated views on many aspects, and are therefore entitled to their own stupid opinions. Nonetheless, citing a certain tribe for the team’s incapability to fashion satisfactory results is un-cool, and totally out of order.
Anybody who had played the game or possesses a little bit of understanding about football dynamics would not stoop that low and conveniently place the blame squarely on the shoulders of tribally-selected culprits, punctuated by a misplaced entitlement mentality.
It should be noted that football is a team sport, and all 11 players on the field of play, including the technical staff and those seated on the bench, are equally responsible for the end-result. We must take collective responsibility, not only in victory, but in defeat as well.
Losing 3-1 against Senegal, a team laden with world-class players, is definitely not a shame, given the current quagmire in which our football is entangled, unless you are from Kuvukiland. I rest my case.