Aili Iilonga
THE Namibian wrestling federation is gearing up for the Africa Championship games.
The federation announced seven wrestlers that will take part in the championships games slated for March in Tunisia.
Speaking to Informanté during an exclusive interview, NWF’s President Maggy Katimba, said that the selection process was done from the previous national championship that took place November 2018, where wrestling clubs participated in the selection.
Katimba said that the country was invited to compete in the upcoming games to pave way for the next African & Oceana Olympic Qualifications for Japan 2020 and any other International competition with the ultimate goal being to qualify for the next Olympic Games.
“We plan to take seven wrestlers to the African championships, three cadets two juniors and two seniors. It would be ideal to take 7 wrestlers but we are still sourcing funds or sponsorships,” she said.
She also said that due to the past exposure, as well as international tournaments over the years, the team should be prepared for the task at hand and be able to handle the pressure that comes with it.
“The team is well aware of the level of competition as many countries we compete with have concentrated centres where wrestlers are boarding and just concentrate on preparations. Thus there is a lot of pressure on our wrestlers who generally come from disadvantaged backgrounds with limited nutritional assistance and physical equipment for preparation,” she added.
She further noted that the Federation has organised a training camp for the wrestlers from 31 January to 3 February in Swakopmund.
Despite the team not having qualified female wrestlers to take part in the African Championships, the federation plant to invite female wrestlers to participate in the wrestling sport.
“As part of our sports development programme for 2019, our objective is to get more female wrestlers involved in the sports code of wrestling,” she added.
