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Namibia: Country Going to Olympics Despite Potential Threats
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The Namibian (Windhoek)
30 April 2008
Posted to the web 30 April 2008
Windhoek
President of the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) Agnes Tjongarero says Namibia will indeed send a team to the 2008 Olympic Games set for Beijing, China in August despite a warning by Interpol that the Games will be targeted by terrorists.
The head of Interpol said on Friday last week that an attempted act of terrorism is a real possibility and a real concern that all Olympic host countries have shared in recent years.
Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble told the opening of the International Conference on Security Cooperation in Beijing that "in light of recent events, all countries whose athletes will participate and whose citizens will attend the Beijing Olympics, must be prepared for the possibility that the groups and individuals responsible for the violence during the global torch relay could carry out their protests at the actual Games.
"These activities could range from disruptive behaviour, like blocking major transportation routes or infrastructure or interfering with competitions, to more violent acts like assaulting Olympic officials or athletes or destroying property," he said.
Tjongarero told Nampa on enquiry yesterday that terrorism can happen anywhere, anytime, even in Namibia.
She said the NNOC will inform every member on the Namibian delegation to beware of the threats.
Said Tjongagero: "It is a real difficult issue.
We can tell them (Namibians) to be on the lookout for any terrorist activity, but it is difficult because no one knows what terrorists look like."
She further said that it is anyway too late now for Namibia to pull out because all 205 countries that are part of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), of which Namibia is also a member, promised to participate in this year's Games.
On Namibia's preparations for the global sporting showpiece, Tjongarero said everything is on track and that her office has already entered the Namibian team by numbers.
Entry by names, she said, will be done in June, so athletes still have a chance to qualify.
Eight athletes have qualified already, and they are Japhet Uutoni (boxing), Desmond Kasuto (boxing), Julius Indongo (boxing), Hilaria Johannes (marathon), Beata Naigambo (marathon), Eric Hoffman (cycling), Manie Heymans (cycling), and Gaby Ahrens (shooting).
Although Agnes Samaria and Stephan Louw already qualified in 2007, Tjongarero insisted they need to prove that they are still at the same level of performance as when they qualified.
Samaria, a middle-distance runner and Louw (triple jump) are now at the African Athletics Championships in Ethiopia, together with sprinters Hitjivirue Kaanjuka and Tjipekapora Herunga to see if they can still qualify for the Olympic Games.
Tjongarero said all athletes who have qualified already need to hand in a preparation plan, and according to that plan, her office will award preparation money.
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The NNOC will also assist those who have not qualified yet, to qualify.
Meanwhile, the NNOC together with the Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Ren Xiaopin, officials from the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, the Namibia Sports Commission, the Directorate of Sports, and some sports federations will officially launch the 100 Days to Beijing Countdown at the Zoo Park at 11h00 today.
Nampa
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