Staff Reporter
TEAM Namibia officially launched its Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign by marching in the opening ceremony before athletes delivered encouraging performances across bowls and swimming on the first day of competition.
The Namibian delegation comprises 23 athletes — 14 men and nine women — competing in five sporting codes, supported by a team of 16 officials.
Proudly carrying the Namibian flag, the athletes joined fellow Commonwealth nations during the opening ceremony as the Games were officially declared open.
Photos: Namibia National Olympic Committee
Namibia enjoyed a winning start in the men’s singles bowls competition, where Waylon Wentzel secured victory over Botswana in his Commonwealth Games debut.
After the opening set ended 7-7, Wentzel edged the second set 6-5 to record a memorable first win of the tournament.
Wentzel later returned to the greens to face Australia but was defeated in straight sets, with his opponent winning 11-3 and 6-3. He will now turn his attention to his remaining fixtures.
Namibia’s swimmers also made a positive start in the pool, recording several encouraging performances.
Oliver Durand finished fourth in Heat 3 of the men’s 200m individual medley in a time of 2:03.09, placing 10th overall.
Jessica Humphrey won Heat 3 of the women’s 50m butterfly and finished 20th overall.
José Canjulo placed fourth in Heat 3 of the men’s 100m breaststroke.
Ronan Wantenaar finished sixth in Heat 4 of the men’s 100m breaststroke, placing 17th overall to qualify as a reserve for the next stage.
In the men’s 4×100m freestyle relay, Wantenaar, Canjulo, Durand and Luke Beukes finished fifth in their race, placing ninth overall to qualify as the reserve team for the next phase.
Team officials described the opening day as an encouraging start to Namibia’s campaign, highlighting the athletes’ determination and national pride as competition continues in Glasgow.
