Namibian Sport administrator, Bethold Karumendu, has raised alarm that the country is running out of athletes very fast.
Karumendu, who spoke on a radio programme, said the country urgently needed to start programmes aimed at identifying potential athletes to take over from the current crop.
The sport administrator, who was a guest on Desert Radio, reflected over the veteran long-distance queen Helalia Johannes winning the Rasa Region 5 Sportswoman of the Year Award in Eswatini on Saturday.
He pointed out that in spite of the fact that Johannes (42) was still competitive, it was evident that she was close to the end of her stellar career.
According to him, Johannes is Namibia’s only world-class long-distance athlete, with no potential heirs in sight to take over from her when she retires.
He called for heavy investment in talent identification.
“Johannes, since taking over from retired Elizabeth Mongudhi in the 90s, has done very well in long-distance running in international competitions, such as the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and the World championships,” Karumendu said.
“It’s time to go back to the drawing board and identify the talent needed to take over from the veteran runners,” he said.
“At the moment we do not have any other long-distance runners of the calibre of Helalia to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
“I am not sure, given the limited time, whether we will have any new long-distance runners for the 2024 Olympic Games,” he said.
He counselled that in the circumstances, it was best to focus on the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games and begin to groom the required talent accordingly.
Karumendu called for the revitalization of bilateral agreements to form relationships with countries like Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, which are doing well on the international stage.
