Five athletes head to Jamaica

WINDHOEKHECTOR MAWONGA In an effort to ensure that Namibia is competitive at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the ministry of sport is sending five athletes to Jamaica, where they will undergo intensive training over the next three years. The five athletes - Hitjivirue Kaanjuka (100m and 200m), Tjipekapora Herunga (200m and 400m), Lilanné Klaasman (100m and 400m hurdles), Globine Mayova (100m and 200m) and Dantago Gurirab (100m and 200m) - all excel in the short sprints, which has become associated with Jamaica. Included on the trip is top athletics coach Letu Hamhola and Otjiherero radio service sports anchor Rodman Katjaimo who will both spend the same amount of time studying in that country. This is part of a programme run by Hamhola and former Olympian participant Agnes Samaria, called Vision 2016, which aims to prepare Namibian athletes as best as possible for international competition. At the announcement of the trip on Friday, the director of sport, Vetumbuavi Veii, said that this programme's success is dependent on the athletes qualifying for the 2016 showpiece event. "You have to qualify for the Olympics. Whether you win a medal is something else but qualification is of paramount importance since it is an achievement by itself," Veii told the athletes. "And don't go there and start thinking of staying there; you have to come back," he added jokingly. Veii went on to explain that the permanent secretary in the ministry had gone out of his way to facilitate the trip with the help of Jamaica's Professor Earl Taylor. "Sport is an international event and the choice of sending athletes to Jamaica is not a mistake since we invest in sport as it gives an opportunity for the youth to shine," Taylor said before adding that the five athletes along with Hamhola and Katjaimo will be studying at the University of Technology in Jamaica. "They are going on an academic and sport programme and will be studying at a premium university that specialises in teaching sports administration," he added. Taylor also alluded to the fact that this programme might be the "start of something bigger" with plans underway to have Jamaica's sport minister, who doubles as the prime minister, visiting Namibia sometime in the near future.