Namibian karate team a regional force
The competitive championship saw seven Region 5 countries participating.
ADOLF KAURE
Hundreds of karateka converged on Swakopmund as seven countries competed at the African Union Sport Council (AUSC) Region 5 Karate Championships at The Dome from Thursday to Saturday.
Participating countries were host nation Namibia, along with Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Karateka from eight years old to veteran level took part in individual kata, team kata, individual kumite and team kumite events.
The chief administrator of the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), Fred Mwiya, said the Namibian team has grown so much that their Region 5 counterparts can now learn from them.
“Karate has grown as a sport. You can see by the level of competition especially now that we have many youngsters taking part and who have quite a bit of experience.
“It has taken eight years to build this Namibian team and we are now bearing the fruit. If you look at South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, they are also doing well. All in all, as karate is now an Olympic sport, we are reaping the rewards.
“I don't think it's just us that learn from others. I think they can also learn from us. I think we are on par now. Four years ago, we were learning a lot from Botswana and South Africa. I believe we are now able to compete,” Myiwa said.
Good platform
According to him, although the tournament served as a good platform for Namibian athletes to prepare for other upcoming international events, qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games is a pipe dream at the moment.
“Next month, an African championship takes place in Botswana and in August the African Games take place in Morocco. For us as Namibians, this is the best platform to build ourselves up and start preparing for those tournaments.
“It's not easy to qualify for the Olympic Games because Africa is only given a small quota that can qualify. I don't think it will be wise for us to say we will get one this time.”
Namibia's head coach, Llewellyn Manale, said the team prepared well for the competition.
“I have been working with all 106 athletes every week for the last two and half months. We did a lot of work especially in central, coastal and northern regions. We trained every weekend with only one weekend off. We can see that those who have gone through to the finals have worked hard.”
Hundreds of karateka converged on Swakopmund as seven countries competed at the African Union Sport Council (AUSC) Region 5 Karate Championships at The Dome from Thursday to Saturday.
Participating countries were host nation Namibia, along with Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Karateka from eight years old to veteran level took part in individual kata, team kata, individual kumite and team kumite events.
The chief administrator of the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), Fred Mwiya, said the Namibian team has grown so much that their Region 5 counterparts can now learn from them.
“Karate has grown as a sport. You can see by the level of competition especially now that we have many youngsters taking part and who have quite a bit of experience.
“It has taken eight years to build this Namibian team and we are now bearing the fruit. If you look at South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, they are also doing well. All in all, as karate is now an Olympic sport, we are reaping the rewards.
“I don't think it's just us that learn from others. I think they can also learn from us. I think we are on par now. Four years ago, we were learning a lot from Botswana and South Africa. I believe we are now able to compete,” Myiwa said.
Good platform
According to him, although the tournament served as a good platform for Namibian athletes to prepare for other upcoming international events, qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games is a pipe dream at the moment.
“Next month, an African championship takes place in Botswana and in August the African Games take place in Morocco. For us as Namibians, this is the best platform to build ourselves up and start preparing for those tournaments.
“It's not easy to qualify for the Olympic Games because Africa is only given a small quota that can qualify. I don't think it will be wise for us to say we will get one this time.”
Namibia's head coach, Llewellyn Manale, said the team prepared well for the competition.
“I have been working with all 106 athletes every week for the last two and half months. We did a lot of work especially in central, coastal and northern regions. We trained every weekend with only one weekend off. We can see that those who have gone through to the finals have worked hard.”
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