By Otniel Hembapu
WINDHOEK – With the Rio 2016 Olympics just around the corner, Athletics Namibia (AN) President, Alna Similo, is at pains and seriously concerned with the shocking decline of elite athletes in various field and track events over the last few years.
Similo, who is AN’s first female president following her election in 2013, says if Namibia still harbours intentions of producing another Frankie Fredericks or Agnes Samaria, then its high time the country redirects its energy and resources to various development programmes with the hope of unearthing raw talent.
“The 2016 Olympics is just some months away and Namibia does not even have one single athlete that we can really say is a medal hopeful at next year’s games, it’s a very concerning situation that needs our urgent attention as country and stakeholders,” said Similo.
Asked about the five athletes that the Namibian government sent to Jamaica under the Vision 2016 Athletics Programme in 2013, Similo said AN, as the governing body of athletics in the country has not even received one single progress report about athletes in Jamaica, as no one is updating the entire nation about their progress since the programme was funded by government.
The five athletes under the Vision 2016 Athletics Programme are sprinters Hitjiverue Kaanjuka, Globine Mayova, Tjipekapora Herunga and Dantago Gurirab as well as hurdles champion Lelanie Klaasman.
“Even if the Jamaica programme is funded by government, we, as the mother body, deserve to be updated about the progress of the athletes so that we can plan better going to the 2016 Olympics. I even wrote twice asking government to update us on the athletes’ progress but up to now we got no response from them and Letu Hamhola, who is the coach and person responsible for monitoring the athletes’ performance is nowhere to be seen,” adds a disturbed Similo.