One of Namibia’s top athletic coaches, Letu Hamhola, has described the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) and Special Olympics Namibia as organisations with system failings that practice institutionalised discrimination and victimisation amongst other things.

Speaking during a press conference in Windhoek on Tuesday where he was flanked by former and current athletes Agnes Samaria, Tjipe Herunga and Johannes Nambala, Hamhola said the NNOC selected undeserving coaches and officials for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

He said efforts to get explanations from NNOC, Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) and the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service have proven futile and they are continuously being shifted from one office to another.

The Level Five coach, who is also one of the most qualified athletics coaches in Namibia, said he has personally been a victim of targeted discrimination several times in his 25-year coaching career.

“The NNOC has deliberately punished me by excluding me from travelling with my athletes many times. These athletes end up performing bad and they suffer social media abuse from the very demanding Namibian public. The other coaches do not have a relationship with these athletes,” he said.

Hamhola added that he offered to pay for his travel, accommodation and meals to work with his athletes, but was refused accreditation by the NNOC.

He added that the NNOC refused to change travelling arrangements for his athletes after he secured a training camp and competition in Europe for the athletes when the Commonwealth Games are over.

Without mentioning names, Hamhola said some NNOC board members are not Namibian while accusing the NSC of failing to dispatch its duties.

He further accused the current president and general secretary of the NNOC, (Abner Xoagub and Joan Smit) of having been at the helm of the organisation for more than 10 years, saying this is against the Namibia Sports Act.

“Whoever selects the coaches think they are punishing me by refusing to select me to coach my athletes, but it works badly on the athletes’ mental health as they fail to perform to their level best. When they take me with the team, they make me share rooms with athletes,” Hamhola alleged.

Hamhola said before their departure to Birmingham, the NNOC had called police onto one of the athletes (Gilbert Kanjuka) following a misunderstanding with the officials.

“How is this athlete going to perform at the Games? He is traumatised. Some athletes were denied an opportunity to go to the Commonwealth Games. Why is David Dam not in the team?” he questioned.

Hamhola’s views were supported by Samaria, Herunga and Nambala.

Efforts to get comments from Xoagub proved fruitless at the time of publishing.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency