Sports fraternity caught offside

Limba Mupetami WINDHOEKThe Covid-19 briefing on Friday announced that contact sports will have to be put on halt, effective 1 June.The sports codes most affected by the month-long break are football, netball and rugby, as non-contact sports such as swimming, chess and golf can still go ahead.The ban is taking place against the backdrop of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths across the country.In the last 27 days, Namibia has recorded 5 497 new cases. This is an average of 204 cases per day. During the same period, 152 deaths were recorded, averaging six per day.According to the minister of health, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, if this trend is not addressed, Namibia will record 44 472 new cases and 1 308 new deaths by the end of the year.Fearing for the worstThis announcement, while beneficial to the welfare of athletes, has left sportsmen and -women as well as certain administrators in a state of uncertainty, with some saying that the worst is coming.Some have said they have taken the Covid-19 vaccination and were hoping that this could help them continue to compete in their respective codes.‘‘We have to abide by rules and regulations, but, on the other hand, we are now beginning to fear for the worst,” a player from a well-known local outfit said.Another player said the government should come up with solutions so that they can continue playing instead of stopping sports altogether.“What will happen after a month? What will they announce again? We are really trying our best to stay away from public spaces, to wear our masks and to sanitise. I even got vaccinated. I’m not sure how we will survive if this continues,” he said.McCarthy Naweseb from Orlando Pirates said he is disheartened about the announcement.“I read the updates while on the way to Keetmanshoop. It’s very sad,” he said.Pirates played to a goalless draw against Mighty Gunners in the Namibia Premier Football League (NPFL). The match took place at the Keetmanshoop Show Ground Stadium over the weekend.BlindsidedOther affected parties including the secretary-general of Netball Namibia, Imelda Nerongo, and Namibia Rugby Union’s CEO, Theo Grunewald, expressed sadness with the announcement, but maintained that they will adhere to the regulations.“Fortunately, when it comes to the MTC Namibia Netball Premier League, the month of June was reserved for the national pen series tournament which was scheduled for 23 to 30 June. We don’t know what to do; we didn’t anticipate this. We are quite shocked and saddened and will have to postpone this event, considering that we wanted to garner points before the world ranking review.“We are trying to get to the 12th position in a short time. I really at the moment have no response in reference to that competition at this point in time,” Nerongo said.“I’m not sure what will happen if the president has a different announcement at the end of June, but for now, we adhere to the regulations and suspend the matches,” she added.Grunewald said while the prohibition is in the interest of the players’ welfare as well as the officials, it remains a bitter pill to swallow.“We are disappointed with the news. The whole rugby fraternity is,” he said.The NRU had been planning international warm-up friendlies against Zimbabwe from 12 to 19 June as well as the Rugby Africa tournament from 1 to 11 July in Windhoek.With regards to football, the transitional NPFL also had matches scheduled for June, while the MTC Super Cup will also be affected.

Sports fraternity caught offside

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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Sports fraternity caught offside

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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