Massive exposure for local girls

The girls who are to represent Namibia in the football tournament at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, will enjoy a life-altering experience. This is the opinion of the team’s coach, Mervin Mbakera, who spoke to Namibian Sun last week. Namibia will be represented at the event by 30 athletes. The bulk of the team is made up of a group of Under-15 girls who’ll take part in the football tournament. The country will be the only African representative in the six-team football competition, which also features hosts China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Venezuela and Slovakia. Mbakera highlighted what a monumental achievement that is for Namibia. “Just picture a 15-year-old representing not only Namibia but the whole of Africa, which has more than a billion population,” he said. “So this will be immense for them and it will change a lot of the girls’ lives,” he added. The coach said he has already noticed positive traits the girls have developed since becoming part of the team. “You can see a sense of responsibility when it comes to their studies and how they approach their schooling... They don’t need to be reminded to study as they now see what is required and I can say their priorities are in the right place,” Mbakera stated. Namibia will be competing in Group B of the girls’ football tournament. Their first match is on Sunday, August 17 against Mexico. Thereafter they will take on China on Wednesday, August 20 to conclude their group games. With the top two teams qualifying for the semi-finals of the tournament, Namibia has a chance of making it to the knockout stages of the competition. This has left Mbakera hopeful of his team’s chances. “As an optimist, I would want to go all the way. But realistically, since I have not assessed the other teams, I can’t safely say how far we will progress. The idea, though, is to go as far as possible,” he said. Key components Besides the sporting aspect, education and culture are also key components for the Youth Olympics, a press statement by the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) said. Not only does the education and culture aspect apply to athletes and participants, but also to youth around the world and inhabitants of the host city and surrounding regions. To this end a Culture and Education Programme (CEP) will be featured at each of the different codes in the games. “This is the end of ‘I’ and the beginning of ‘team’: Team Namibia. There is no ‘I’ in team,” said the president of the NNOC, Agnes Tjongarero, at the official send-off. Tjongarero urged the youngsters to help each other and to be proud not only of their country, but also of their achievements. This is the second time the Youth Olympic Games will take place following the inaugural event in 2010. Namibian delegation Athletes: Eugene Nieman (athletics), Xander Reddig (archery) Tristan de Lange (cycling), Pascal Marggraff (cycling), Lesedi Jacobs (tennis), Quendra Kasume (football), Vetjiwa Tijvau (football), Mbitjitandjambi Mungunda (football), Chelsea De Gouveia (football), Jasmin Baas (football), Beverly Uueziua (football), Bianca Van Wyk (football), Ashley Solomons (football), Revival Gawanas (football), Christophine Hanse (football), Chaan Beukes (football), Ignacia Haoses (football), Anna Shaende (football), Nondiyo !Noreses (football), Tarakuje Rukero (football), Luzane de Wee (football), Asteria Angula (football), Ivonne Kooper (football) Jivanka Kruger (gymnastics), Reinhardt Van Zyl (gymnastics), Sonja Adelaar (swimming), Zanré Oberholzer( swimming), Lushano Lamprecht (swimming), Kim Seebach (beach volleyball) and Stephanie Palmhert (beach volleyball). Officials: Kenji Otake (sponsor), Frank Fredericks (IOC member), Agnes Tjongarero (president –NNOC), Joan Smit(NNOC secretary-general), Monica Bohm (CDM) Lurdi Aron (Youth Ambassador), Brigitta Augustyn (physiotherapist), Ansie Nieman (athletics), Marja Woortman (archery), Heinrich Kohne (cycling), Hella Rust (cycling), Johan Theron (tennis), Evelyn !Noreses (football) Mervin Mbakera (football), Tim Isaacs (football), Johan Kruger (gymnastics l), Ryan Skinner (swimming) and James Verrinder (beach volleyball). WINDHOEK-HECTOR MAWONGA