Sport in Namibia
Encyclopedia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
are football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. Boxing and athletics are also popular. The home stadium for all national teams is Independence Stadium
Independence Stadium (Namibia)
The Independence Stadium in Windhoek is the national stadium of the Republic of Namibia. It holds 25,000 spectators and is mainly used for football events....
in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
, while Sam Nujoma Stadium in Katutura
Katutura
Katutura is a township of Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia. Katutura was created in 1961 following the forced removal of Windhoek's black population from the Old Location, which afterwards was developed into the suburb Hochland Park. Sam Nujoma Stadium, built in 2005, is located within Katutura...
is also occasionally used.
Cricket in Namibia
The history of cricket in Namibia is closely linked with South AfricanSouth African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
cricket. After independence, the newly formed Namibian Cricket Board set about developing the game throughout the country, and also arranged visits from various English county teams and The Netherlands
Dutch cricket team
The Dutch cricket team is a national cricket team representing the Netherlands. It is administered by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond which is based in Nieuwegein in the centre of the country and is older than many renowned cricket clubs in the West Indies, Australia, and New...
. They were granted associate membership of the ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
in 1992. Namibia played six matches in the 2003 World Cup and lost all of them. However they had a credible match against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
where they were ahead of the English under the Duckworth-Lewis method
Duckworth-Lewis method
In the sport of cricket, the Duckworth–Lewis method is a mathematical formulation designed to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstance...
for twelve overs and Jan Berrie Burger almost mastered an upset with 85 of 86 balls. Rudi van Vuuren
Rudi van Vuuren
Dr Rudolph Jansen van Vuuren is a Physician by trade, former Namibian sportsman and committed conservationist....
took 5 wickets, and later on went to feature in the Rugby World Cup for Namibia that same year.
Namibia will host the 2007 World Cricket League Division 2.
World CupCricket World CupThe ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
- 1975 to 1992 inclusive: Not eligible - Not an ICC member
- 19961996 Cricket World CupThe 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
: Did not qualify - 19991999 Cricket World Cup-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
: Did not qualify - 20032003 Cricket World Cup-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
: First round - 20072007 Cricket World CupThe 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
: Did not qualify
Development Programs
Except for a few cases, cricket in Namibia has been confined to the AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
speaking populations, with the indigenous Africans who constitute 80% of the national population showing hardly any interest.
Football in Namibia
Football in Namibia is governed by the Namibia Football AssociationNamibia Football Association
The Namibia Football Association is the governing body of football in Namibia. It was founded in 1990, and affiliated to FIFA and to CAF in 1992. It organizes the national football league and the national team.-External links:* at the FIFA website...
. The Namibia Premier League
Namibia Premier League
The Namibia Premier League , also known as MTC Namibia Premier League due to sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of domestic association football in Namibia...
is the main domestic league. The Namibia national football team
Namibia national football team
The Namibia national football team, nicknamed the Brave Warriors, is the national team of Namibia and is controlled by the Namibia Football Association...
has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, but has twice been runner up in the COSAFA Cup
COSAFA Cup
The COSAFA Senior Challenge is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organized by COSAFA, inaugurated after the ban against the Republic of South Africa had been lifted and the African Cup of Nations had been staged there in 1996...
. They have qualified for two African Cups of Nations, in 1998
1998 African Cup of Nations
The 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso was the 21st edition of the African Cup of Nations , the national football championship of Africa, administered by the Confederation of African Football . Just like in 1996, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
, where they lost in the first round, and the 2008
2008 African Cup of Nations
The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated to the Confederation of African Football . The tournament was staged at...
edition.
Rugby Union in Namibia
Rugby union was introduced to Namibia from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1916. The main governing body today is the Namibia Rugby Union
Namibia Rugby Union
Namibia Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Namibia.It was formed in March 1990, the same month that it joined the International Rugby Board....
.
The Namibian national team
Namibia national rugby union team
The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999...
are commonly known as the Welwitschia
Welwitschia
Welwitschia is a monotypic genus of gymnosperm plant, composed solely of the very distinct Welwitschia mirabilis. The plant is commonly simply known as Welwitschia in English. It is known locally as !kharos or khurub , tweeblaarkanniedood , nyanka , or onyanga , among others...
. They participate frequently at the World Cup.
Until independence, players for Namibia were also eligible to represent South Africa with Namibian born Springboks including Jan Ellis
Jan Ellis
Jan Hendrik Ellis is a South African former rugby union rugby player, who played flanker. He played 38 times for the Springboks, which at that time was a record.-Biography:...
and, more recently, Percy Montgomery
Percy Montgomery
Percival Colin "Percy" Montgomery is a retired South African rugby union player...
. Various players pursue their rugby careers in South Africa and in a number of European countries.
Golf in Namibia
The most prominent Namibian golfer is Trevor DoddsTrevor Dodds
Trevor George Dodds is a Namibian professional golfer.Dodds was born in Windhoek, Namibia. He turned pro in 1985. He won the Canadian Tour Order of Merit in 1995 and 1996...
. The most prominent golf course is Rossmund Desert Golf Course
Rossmund Desert Golf Course
Rossmund Desert Golf Course is a private golf course in Swakopmund, Namibia. It is one of only 5 all-grass desert golf courses in the world. It is located 6 km outside of Swakopmund on the B2 on the way to Windhoek on the Swakop River.-Source:* *...
in Swakopmund
Swakopmund
Swakopmund is a city on the coast of northwestern Namibia, west of Windhoek, Namibia's capital. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. As a seaside resort, the weather is cooler here in December to January so the territorial administration moves to Swakopmund for these months...
.
Athletics in Namibia
The most prominent Namibian athlete, and one of the most prominent people in general, is the former sprinter Frankie Fredericks
Frankie Fredericks
Frank Fredericks is a former athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games , making him Namibia's first and so far only Olympic medalist...
. He is the first and so far only Olympic medalist
Olympic medalist
An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal: gold, silver and bronze. The winner is awarded the gold medal, the runner-up the silver medal, and the third place competitor is awarded the bronze medal...
from the country, and won four Olympic silver medals in total. He also became world champion
World Champions in athletics (men)
- 100 m :- 200 m :- 400 m :- 800 m :- 1500 m :- 5000 m :- 10000 m :- 110 m hurdles :- 400 m hurdles :- 3000 m steeplechase :- 4 x 100 metres relay :- 4 x 400 metres relay :- Marathon :- 20 km race walk :- 50 km race walk :...
in 1993
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....
and won an additional three silver medal at the World Championships, all in the 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
event. He holds the African record in this event with 19.68 seconds, and held the African record in 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
until May 2006.
Other prominent athletes include middle distance runner Agnes Samaria
Agnes Samaria
Agnes Samaria is a Namibian middle distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. She was born in Otjiwarongo.Samaria has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005.-Achievements:-Personal bests:*400 metres - 53.83 s...
and long-distance runner Luketz Swartbooi.
Boxing in Namibia
There have been several successful Namibian boxers, including Japhet Uutoni
Japhet Uutoni
Japhet Uutoni is an amateur Namibian boxer. He was the 2005 Namibian sportsperson of the year in the Namibian newspaper and won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games by defeating England's Darren Langley on points...
(winner of gold medal at 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2006 African Boxing championships), Paulus Ambunda
Paulus Ambunda
Paulus Ambunda is a Namibian boxer who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics.Ambunda won the silver medal in the same division at the All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria....
(represented his country at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall. The event was only open to men and bouts were contested over four rounds of two minutes each...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
), Paulus Moses
Paulus Moses
Paulus “The Hitman” Moses is a Namibian professional lightweight boxer. He was the World Boxing Association lightweight world champion...
, Harry Simon
Harry Simon (boxer)
Harry Simon is a professional boxer in the super welterweight division.- Amateur Highlights :As an amateur Simon represented Namibia as a welterweight at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain...
and Joseph Jermia
Joseph Jermia
Joseph Jermia is a boxer from Namibia, who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics for his native African country. There he was stopped in the quarterfinals of the Light Flyweight division by Russia's eventual bronze medal winner Sergey Kazakov.Jermia won the bronze medal in the same division...
(represented his country at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall. The event was only open to men and bouts were contested over four rounds of two minutes each...
as well as winning a bronze medal in the 48 kg weight class in the 2003 All-Africa Games
Boxing at the 2003 All-Africa Games
Boxing at the 8th All Africa Games was held in Abuja, Nigeria from October 4-13, 2003. It served as a qualification tournament for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece...
. In March 2008, Namibia hosted the final round of qualifying for the continental tournament
2nd AIBA African 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament
The 2nd AIBA African Olympic Boxing Qualifying Tournament was held from 24 March to 29 March 2008 in Windhoek, Namibia. It was held at the Gymnasium Hall of the University of Namibia.- Competition System :...
of boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics
The boxing program of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China was held at the Workers Indoor Arena.Medals were awarded in eleven events, with each event corresponding to a recognized weight division of male boxers...
. As Japhet Uutoni had already qualified for the 2008 Olympics by winning his class in the first round of qualifiers, 2 other Namibian boxers also qualified (Mujandjae Kasuto
Mujandjae Kasuto
Mujandjae Kasuto is a Namibian welterweight boxer. Kasuto competed for Namibia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in boxing after qualifying for the games by winning the gold medal in his division at the qualifying tournament held in Windhoek in March 2008. At the 2008 games, Kasuto lost in the round of...
and Julius Indongo
Julius Indongo
Julius Munyelele Indongo is an amateur Namibian lightweight boxer. Indongo qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics by winning a bronze medal at the 2nd AIBA African 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in his native Namibia....
). In January 2009, Paulus Moses defeated Yusuke Kobori
Yusuke Kobori
is a retired professional boxer from Japan and a former WBA lightweight champion.Kobori won the Japanese super featherweight title on January 14, 2006 by knocking out Keita Manabe in the second round. He went on to defend it 6 times....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to win the WBA lightweight title.