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Nova 1035
The Namibia National Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Association (NNOC-CGA), in partnership with the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU), is pleased to announce the allocation of a US$50,000 Olympic Solidarity Team Support Grant towards the development and preparation of Namibia’s Women’s Rugby Sevens team on its pathway towards qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28).
The funding represents a significant investment in women’s high-performance sport in Namibia and will support a structured programme aimed at strengthening the national Women’s Rugby Sevens programme, improving international competitiveness and establishing a sustainable pathway towards Olympic qualification. The grant will support targeted areas of preparation, including athlete development, technical and coaching support, training camps, competition exposure and other highperformance interventions required to progressively prepare the team for the LA28 qualification pathway.
NNOC-CGA Chief Executive Officer Anri Parker welcomed the support, describing it as an important example of how international Olympic funding can be translated into tangible opportunities for Namibian athletes. “This US$50,000 investment is about much more than funding a team. It is about creating an opportunity for Namibian women to compete, develop and ultimately challenge for a place on the Olympic stage. Our responsibility as the NNOC-CGA is to ensure that opportunities available through the Olympic Movement are translated into meaningful programmes for our athletes and National Federations, ” Parker said.
She said the initiative is closely aligned with Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and Government’s broader focus on sport, youth development, gender equality and human-capital development. “Sport has an important role to play in the implementation of NDP6. Investment in women’s sport speaks directly to inclusion, youth empowerment, skills development and creating opportunities for young Namibians. We want to demonstrate that international sport funding can complement Government’s national development objectives while helping us build a stronger and more sustainable high-performance sport system.”
Parker added that the initiative forms part of the NNOC-CGA’s broader Road to LA28 strategy, which seeks to identify realistic Olympic qualification opportunities early and work alongside National Federations to establish structured, measurable pathways for athletes and teams. “High performance cannot begin a few months before a major Games. If Namibia wants to compete successfully internationally, we have to identify our opportunities early and invest 2 strategically in them. LA28 is now firmly on the horizon, and this programme gives women’s rugby an opportunity to build towards that objective over the next two years.”
Namibia Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer John Heyns welcomed the grant as an important catalyst for the continued development of women’s rugby in Namibia. “The US$50,000 Olympic Solidarity support provides Namibia Rugby with an important opportunity to accelerate the development of our Women’s Sevens programme. Our focus will be on creating a structured and sustainable high-performance environment that gives our female players the preparation, competition exposure and technical support required to compete at an increasingly higher international level, ” Heyns said. Heyns emphasised that while LA28 represents an important performance objective, the investment will have a much broader and longer-term impact on women’s rugby in Namibia. “LA28 provides us with a clear long-term objective, but the value of this programme extends well beyond Olympic qualification. It is about strengthening the entire women’s rugby pathway in Namibia, inspiring more girls to participate in the sport and creating opportunities for talented athletes to progress from grassroots and development structures into national and international competition.”
He said the partnership between the NRU and NNOC-CGA demonstrates the importance of sporting organisations working together around a shared national high-performance agenda. “This is an investment in our women, our athletes and the future of Namibian rugby. We are grateful to Olympic Solidarity and the NNOC-CGA for recognising the potential of our Women’s Sevens programme. Our responsibility now is to convert this opportunity into a disciplined and measurable programme that gives our players the best possible chance of competing for Olympic qualification.”
The NNOC-CGA and NRU emphasised that qualification for LA28 remains an ambitious performance objective and is not guaranteed. The programme will therefore be implemented against defined development and performance milestones, with appropriate monitoring, reporting and accountability. Parker said the successful allocation of the funding also highlights the importance of National Federations developing credible long-term plans and engaging proactively with the NNOC-CGA on international funding opportunities. “One of our priorities is to ensure that Namibia makes maximum use of the opportunities available through Olympic Solidarity. But funding must be linked to strategy, accountability and measurable outcomes. This programme is an excellent example of what becomes possible when a National Federation and the NNOC-CGA work together towards a clearly defined objective.”
The Women’s Rugby Sevens initiative forms part of a broader effort by the NNOC-CGA to strengthen Namibia’s high-performance pipeline towards LA28 while ensuring that international support contributes to the long-term development of the country’s sporting system. Both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to gender equality, athlete-centred development, good governance and creating greater opportunities for Namibian women to participate and excel in elite sport.
For Namibia’s Women’s Rugby Sevens players, the US$50,000 investment marks the beginning of a structured journey with a clear destination: to give Namibia the strongest possible opportunity to compete for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Issued jointly by:
Namibia National Olympic Committee & Commonwealth Games Association (NNOCCGA)
and
Namibia Rugby Union (NRU)
