KACI draw sets stage for title defences

Defending champions August 26, the Office of the President, NUST, Agribank and NamPower now know the opposition standing between them and another title at the fifth Corporate Sports Carnival in Windhoek on 14 November.

This follows the draw for the Khevare Action Capital Investment (KACI) cc showpiece, held at the Thüringerhof Hotel in the capital on Wednesday. It set the stage for the multi-sport competition scheduled for the Academia Secondary School sports field.

Organisers confirmed at the event that the fixtures will be finalised after this weekend.

August 26 will be looking to defend their volleyball and tug-of-war crowns from last year’s edition.

The Office of the President are chasing a fourth consecutive football title, having won the previous three from 2023 to 2025 to claim permanent possession of the floating trophy.

NUST will look to defend their netball and relay racing titles, while Agribank and NamPower will be looking to retain their respective darts and pool crowns.

Volleyball draw

Volleyball promises some of the more competitive encounters, with defending champions August 26 drawn in Group A alongside NASRIA, Road Fund Administration (RFA) and the Office of the President.

Group B consists of Agribank, Millennium, Bipa and GIPF. Group C brings together Team Juxta, NamWater, NAMFI and NamPower, while Group D features NUST, Capricorn and KACI.

NAMFI, who hail from the coastal town of Walvis Bay, will be making their debut at this year’s carnival.

Speaking after the draw, NamPower representative Nehemia Andreas acknowledged the competitive nature of the volleyball groupings without singling out any team as favourites.

“It is quite an interesting and competitive line-up of teams this year. Every group has strong teams. I think everybody stands a good chance of winning the trophy,” Andreas said.

Other title defences

The football competition will feature six teams in a round-robin format, with the Office of the President facing NamPower A, NamPower B, August 26, NUST and NMH in their bid for another title.

NUST will defend their netball title in a round-robin competition involving NamPower, KACI and NASRIA.

Meanwhile, August 26 will face five other teams in tug of war, namely KACI, the Office of the President, NamPower, NUST and the Social Security Commission (SSC).

In darts, defending champions Agribank will compete against NamPower, August 26, NUST, SSC, KACI and NBC.

NamPower will defend their pool title against KACI, August 26, NUST, NBC and SSC.

NUST will also be looking to retain their relay racing title against KACI, the Office of the President, NamPower and NBC.

Owela registration extended

Event organiser Kudumo Mbathera said organisers are looking to build on previous editions of the carnival, highlighting the introduction of Owela, a traditional Namibian board game.

Mbathera said the game has traditionally been popular in rural communities, and its inclusion aims to broaden participation alongside the other sporting disciplines.

“We want to give those who grew up playing the game an opportunity to come and participate while others compete in the more familiar sporting codes,” he said.

Registration for Owela has been extended until this weekend, with participating teams allowed to enter at no additional cost and a trophy awaiting the winning side.

Building partnerships

Also speaking at the draw, fellow organiser Albert Khevare encouraged participating companies to use the carnival as an opportunity to build partnerships and strengthen professional relationships, rather than allowing sporting rivalries to create animosity.

“Regardless of who wins or loses, we shake hands and do business afterwards,” Khevare said.

He emphasised that the participating organisations remain valuable to one another beyond the sporting arena, as they may still rely on each other’s services.

Khevare added that the decision to host Wednesday’s draw at the Thüringerhof Hotel was also intended to introduce participating companies to alternative venues and potential business partnerships.

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