In less than 10 days, the Namibia Ice and Inline Hockey Association (NIIHA) teams will return to the global stage to showcase their talent at the World Inline Hockey Championships in Roccaraso, Italy, from 28 August to 22 September.

This year, Namibia will field four teams – junior men, junior women, senior men, and senior women. This is only the second time Namibia has sent all four teams to the world championships, the first time being in 2014 in France.

Exciting performances are expected at the tournament, particularly from the junior women’s team, who enter the competition as the defending champions. 

The senior women’s team is making a comeback since their last competition in 2015, while the senior men’s team, who last competed in 2021, are aiming for a top-five finish after securing a top-10 spot in their last appearance at the championship.

In the senior men’s category, 24 countries will compete for honours, while the senior women’s division will see participation from 21 countries. 

Additionally, the junior men’s category will feature 21 teams, and the junior women’s category will have 12 teams.

Nadia Schmidt will oversee all four teams, with assistance from Trevor Cormack. Martie Bajorat will be the women’s team manager, while Jürgen Rannersmann will take care of the men’s teams. 

Speaking to this publication, Lucille Coetzee said all four teams are preparing well, and believes that Saturday’s exhibition games will showcase how ready the teams are,
and where adjustments should be made before their departure.

“I believe we have done our part in terms of assembling a strong team that will represent Namibia at this prestigious competition. I want to take time to thank Spar Namibia for their continued support, as they provide us with the necessary resources to ensure we can practice and compete in these events,” Coetzee said.

In preparation for the tournament, the teams will engage in various exhibition matches this weekend at the Windhoek showgrounds.