NNOC positive despite coronavirus scares

The Namibia National Olympics Committee (NNOC) hopes the African gymnastics championship, to be hosted in May, will not be spoiled by the coronavirus. Namibia will be hosting the trampoline and tumbling tournament at The Dome at Swakopmund. Secretary-general of the committee Joan Smit has insisted that nothing will be stopped or postponed until the authorities decided otherwise. This after the spread of the coronavirus has been on the increase around the world, with some sporting events postponed and others cancelled outright.“Yes, we do believe that the situation is serious and all precautions are being taken. “The fact that we are hosting the gymnastics competition in May as an Olympic qualifier tournament will see many people from around Africa coming over.“We are hopeful that the virus will have been contained by then,” Smit said. Namibia is yet to report a case of the virus but neighbouring South Africa had already confirmed 13 cases by midday yesterday. Smit admitted that this could hamper Namibia's preparations for the Olympics, given that some Namibians who have qualified were willing to begin their preparations outside Namibia. “We do not have the exact places where these athletes who have already qualified want to go and prepare for the Olympics yet because the federations have to submit that to us.“We can however confirm that Jonas Junias Jonas has submitted that he wants to begin his preparations in Cuba,” Smit added.“The fact that Helalia Johannes and Thomas Reinhold recently returned from Japan and are fine also eases our worries at the moment.“We as a committee will however monitor the situation and the public will be the first to be informed if any chances arise.” As things stand, Namibia has only booked five spots to the world's biggest sporting spectacle, slated for Japan in July. Only marathon queen Johannes, rower Maike Diekmann, cyclist Vera Adrian, Dan Craven and Jonas have booked their places to the games thus far.Sensational 17-year-old sprinter Beatrice Masilingi has two possible qualifications events in South Africa and Germany this month.Masilingi will only be able to qualify for Tokyo if she records 22.80 seconds in the 200-metre race or 51.35 seconds in the 400m. Swimmers Phillip Zeildler and Alexander Skinner are also among those in contention to make it to Japan.Zeildler will compete in a 10km open water competition in Japan between 30 and 31 May, and will have to finish in the top nine to qualify. Skinner will compete in a 100m freestyle competition in South Africa and is required to finish in the top three to book his place to Japan.These trips however hang in the balance due to the rise of reported COVID-19 cases around the globe. By Tuesday, the coronavirus had spread to 104 more countries apart from China, alarming public health authorities across the world. Jesse Jackson Kauraisa

NNOC positive despite coronavirus scares

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-11

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NNOC positive despite coronavirus scares

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-11

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