Carlos Kambaekwa
30 July 2008
Windhoek — Boxing supremo Kelly Ngixulifwa has pleaded ignorance on the latest debacle between the Namibian Boxing Federation (NABF) and the country's sports authorities.
At the centre of the dispute is an earlier decision taken by sports authorities to ground one of the two nominated boxing officials scheduled to accompany the boxing discipline to this year's Beijing Olympics. The officials are long serving boxing guru Ambrossius Kandjii and the federation's secretary-general Joe Kaperu.
The decision was taken after a plea by the boxers for the inclusion of trainer Kennedy Muatara into the travelilng entourage was apparently turned down by boxing authorities whereupon the boxers sought refuge with officials from the line ministry, who in turn told the defiant boxing officials where to get off.
The boxing Federation was instructed in no uncertain terms to offload one the boxing officials in order to make space for Muatara, but the wanderlust officials would have none of that and resolved to unpack their bags under the guise of solidarity.
However, New Era Sports has it on good authority that one of the aggrieved officials tiptoed to the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) and pleaded for his trip to be activated.
The NNOC had no qualms in principal to drag the official along but it needed a formal request from the boxing federation.
When asked about these developments, the joint president of the Namibian Boxing Federation and the Namibian Boxing and Wrestling Control Board Kelly Ngxulifwa, said he was not aware of such arrangements and instead offered a different version.
"We were requested by the NNOC to reconsider our position concerning the withdrawal of our two officials but have not done likewise at the moment.
"An urgent meeting was convened today (Tuesday) by high-ranking officials from the line ministry and the president of the NNOC and since I'm currently out of town and the secretary-general Kaperu had other urgent matters to attend to, I thought it proper to ask Kandjii to attend the meeting and then give me feedback."
Ngxulifwa is adamant a decision had not been taken yet as to what steps would be taken as he still need to consult with other members but word has it that Kandjii's name has already been officially forwarded to the National Olympic Committee as the preferred candidate despite vehement denials by Ngixulifwa.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Era. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
