Boxing cut from Namibia’s African Games team

Jo-Ann Manuel, director of sports in the sports ministry, has explained why certain sports codes will not form part of Team Namibia heading to the 13th edition of the African Games in Accra, Ghana, next year.Manuel stated that sending a boxing team to the games in Ghana would serve no purpose, as the competition will not be a qualifier for the Paris Olympic Games next year.She was responding to a letter that was sent by the Namibia Sports Commission to the National Boxing Federation on 15 September.The letter stated that top ministry officials had taken the decision that boxing will not form part of Team Namibia participating at the African Games in Accra.“The decision has been necessitated as boxing has been categorised as a non-Olympic qualifying code at the Ghana African Games.“The decision to allocate funding to boxing for preparation towards the games will now no longer be effected due to the above decision,” reads the letter.Pathway to Olympics prioritised Manuel said the ministry cannot send athletes just to beef up the competition in Ghana.“We need to look at competitions that serve as a pathway to the Olympics. We cannot give money to codes that will not benefit at the games.“The codes that we are sending are swimming, cycling, athletics, wrestling, triathlon and tennis. We had to cut the rest to save on expenses and to look at other competitions that athletes can compete in to qualify,” she confirmed. Other Olympic sports codes that can be considered for the African Games are badminton and table tennis. The likes of arm wrestling, karate, basketball, beach volleyball, cricket, football, handball, hockey, judo, rugby, weightlifting, volleyball and taekwondo are non-Olympic qualifier sports codes at the games.Support of boxing Recently, with the help of the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC), the ministry sent a team of four boxers, three male and one female, to the African Olympic Qualifying Competition in Dakar, Senegal.None of the four boxers qualified for the Olympics, even though one boxer, Gebhard Ipinge, performed exceptionally well but faltered during the semi-finals in what many boxing enthusiasts argued was a false decision on the judges’ part.NNOC president Abner Xoagub said boxers need to find an alternative competition in order to qualify for the Olympics.Xoagub explained that the boxers can compete in the first World Qualification Tournament, which will be held in Busto Arzizio, Italy, from 29 February to 12 March 2024.He said they can again take part in the second World Qualification Tournament, which is scheduled for the Thai capital Bangkok from 23 May to 3 June 2024.However, he added that the local boxing federation, together with the ministry of sports, needs to explore funding options to enable the selected boxers to compete in either one of these competitions and, hopefully, qualify.“Maybe they need to host a championship to select the best boxers,” Xoagub said.Next big thingIpinge (20) said he is keen to qualify and represent the country at the Olympics and hopefully win a medal.“The Olympics are a great stage. That’s where I want to be.”The amateur boxer said he only had a week to prepare to compete in Senegal as he had a rough schedule with his exams. He, however, went as far as the semi-finals, where he put up a great fight against Egypt’s 35-year-old Abdelrahman Oraby.He urged the boxing federation to prepare them well and to consider sending them to Italy, as he wants to win and turn to the professional ranks.–limba@namibiansun.com

Boxing cut from Namibia’s African Games team

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Boxing cut from Namibia’s African Games team

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