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Namibia: Shooting From the Hip - Boxing Must Clean Up Its Act
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New Era (Windhoek)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Carlos Kambaekwa
Windhoek
In lobbying and subsequently accepting to host the final leg of the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) Olympic qualifiers for the African continent, one would have liked to believe that local boxing authorities were absolutely aware of the inherent challenges.
It's no exaggeration to say that thousands of Namibians shared in the joy of being hosts to the rest of the continent, while the rest of Africa felt safe to repose their confidence in us. The onus was on Boxing Namibia to justify that confidence.
However, in all fairness to my conscience, I don't think I'm capable of finding a commendable word for how an important commodity such as boxers was treated.
Is it not perhaps time for some sport administrators who think they are above the laws of the game they so dearly serve, to start realizing that their togetherness is the result of their subjects which is the athletes, because for me no amount of explanation can rationalize the treatment meted out to boxers prior to an event of such magnitude.
Despite their prowess in the ring, local boxers have been complaining far too long about shoddy treatment at the hands of sports administrators who seem to have become a law unto themselves so to speak.
In truth to my maker and myself, yours truly perfectly appreciates the circumstances in which local boxing authorities find themselves - obviously the heat must be too much for them but that is no reason why the buck must pass them and rather stop at me for exposing the soured relationship between boxing officials and their subjects.
Boxing officials are not and justifiably so, contesting the grievances of the boxers but rather seek by hook or by crook to put a lid on the boiling pot of the shenanigans which of course can be attributed to their own making.
Those responsible for the mess should have the courage to own up to that rather than embark on a futile mission of finding scapegoats.
Little wonder our boxers are struggling to make an impact on the ongoing Olympic qualifiers despite the hype that preceded the tournament that by playing host, Namibia would be in a better position to have more boxers in Beijing - well I'm not so sure anymore, given the current state of affairs in the Namibian camp.
Sports administrators must wake up and smell the Java - Namibia is a developing nation and we now have entities such as event organizers. Here I'm talking about people who are conversant with the dynamics of organizing events - and the Olympic qualifiers fall under that category, period!
As far as media accreditation is concerned, local journalists were told that it was not necessary since they are well-known faces, but alas, they themselves are fully accredited.
It must be stressed that during fights, foreign judges and ring umpires would not take kindly to local journos roaming around in restricted areas without proper accreditation.
In future, be more professional and outsource the duties of organizing big events to private companies who possess the required expertise in organizing events of such magnitude, because sports administrators would then exempt themselves from inviting unnecessary criticism and save the country from unwarranted embarrassment.
Pathetic Warriors
The Brave Warriors' midweek performance against Malawi was absolutely pathetic to say the least! After the team's lukewarm showing during the 26th edition of the African Cup of Nations in Ghana one would have expected the boys to have learned something.
Let me shoot straight from the hip and not beat about the bush - Namibian football is dangerously treading on very thin ice despite vehement protests by those in charge of the game of football.
Yours truly has always and still maintains that Namibia does not have the quality of footballers to compete at the highest level or either way, the right players are being overlooked for selection.
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How does one justify a situation where a team loses at home against lowly opponents such as Malawi - fair enough no offence to the Flames - but it is the manner in which we lost that really pissed me off.
Many players in the national setup are just not committed enough and some lack total respect for the national jersey because most of the so-called senior players in the Brave Warriors squad have been unable to transform their good club form to the national level.
Namibia must forget about winning for the time being and dissolve the current team since there appears to be an urgent need to embark on a mission of nurturing a decent team that can qualify us for the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola.
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