President of the Namibian National Olympic Committee (NNOC) Abner Hoagub told Peterburg News that in the near future the Namibian NOC together with Russia will prepare programs for Namibian athletes, thanks to which they will be able to participate in training camps with the participation of strong coaches from Russia. Namibia, in turn, will provide Russian athletes with the opportunity to come and train there. Recall that during the second Russia-Africa summit, the Russian Olympic Committee signed memorandums of cooperation with the NOCs of three African countries: Namibia, Eswatini and Mali.
“We are considering developing programs for Namibian athletes to benefit from Russian experience, as Russians are good in basketball, boxing, swimming, gymnastics and other summer sports. We are going to bring Namibian athletes to Russia and hold training camps with coaches from Russia. Namibia will give Russian athletes the opportunity to come and train in Namibia. We can help Russia to train long distance runners, we also want Russia to have sprinters. So maybe in 2032 we will be able to see Russian athletes among the 100 meters runners. We are very happy about this agreement,” President of the Namibian NOC Abner Hoagub told journalists.
According to the NOC President, the resolution adopted by the International Olympic Committee against Russia has a very amorphous wording and, in fact, does not explain how Russian athletes will participate in preparation for the Olympic Games and in qualification. Abner Hoagub believes that not only athletes from Russia, but all those involved in individual sports are affected by the IOC’s decision.
“Basically, the International Olympic Committee has discriminated against Russian athletes by not deciding on their participation in the Games. In some countries where qualifying games are being held, it is already time for Russian athletes to refuse to participate. So it’s basically an Olympic challenge for Russian athletes to qualify for the Olympic Games in the first place because the Olympic Games are based on qualifications. Some of the qualifications are based on rankings, and if they don’t get into those rankings, then Russian athletes can’t compete, they can’t be included in the rankings. So I think that the resolution adopted by the IOC with all the formalities arising from this fact is a challenge,” added Abner Hoagub.
The NOC president is sure that, unfortunately, politics strongly affects the situation with the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games, the IOC does not give a clear answer, but as if stalling for time.
“If the Russian national soccer team did not participate in the qualifying games, how will it get to the Games. Some of the conditions imposed by the IOC and its national structures are against the participation of Russian athletes, and the whole process comes down to not allowing Russian athletes to qualify and so on. The main problem that Russian athletes are facing now is time, we don’t have time, we are about ten months away from the Games, and we don’t know how to move forward. And from practical experience we see that these athletes have no time left for qualification,” summarizes Abner Hoagub.
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