Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.
February 2026
New Era
Namibia Sports Commissionis being registered with bythe NPPL for regulation compliance
Source
“The NPPL is currently in the process of registering with the Namibia Sports Commission to ensure all regulations are met, proper structures are in place, and everything is formalised ahead of the league's continued growth.”
Namibia Sports Commissionis hostingthe ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup at FNB Namibia Cricket Stadium
Source
“The ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup starts today at the FNB Namibia Cricket Stadium. The opening match sees Tanzania take on the West Indies, hosted by Cricket Namibia and the Namibia Sports Commission.”
Namibia Sports Commissionhas learnedvaluable lessons from 2025, particularly the importance of advance preparation
Source
“Mwiya said that the Commission has learned valuable lessons from 2025, particularly the importance of advance preparation, especially for international competitions and Team Namibia programmes.”
Namibia Sports Commissionwill be implementinga new organisational structure this year to enhance efficiency
Source
“He added that the NSC will be implementing a new organisational structure this year, which is expected to enhance efficiency and strengthen delivery across all areas of its mandate.”
Namibia Sports CommissiondeclaredNABF president will serve one year, not four years
Source
“Namibia Amateur Boxing Federation (NABF) president Jeremia Ndjembo will only serve one year in that role and not four years, the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) declared yesterday.”
Namibia Sports Commissionapologised forcrowning the wrong top recipient and other blunders
Source
“The Namibia Annual Sport Awards (Nasa) organisers on Monday apologised for crowning the wrong top recipient and other blunders made in Windhoek on Saturday.”
The Namibia Football Association has formally proposed amendments to the Sports Act and the establishment of a dedicated national sports levy of N$5 from employees and employers monthly, arguing that current legislation no longer adequately supports the governance and sustainability of sport in Namibia and that the levy would provide sustainable funding to reduce reliance on government grants.
The Namibia Football Association has formally proposed amendments to the Sports Act and the establishment of a dedicated national sports levy of N$5 from employees and employers monthly, arguing that current legislation no longer adequately supports the governance and sustainability of sport in Namibia and that the levy would provide sustainable funding to reduce reliance on government grants.
Experts at a Namibia Institute of Corporate Governance forum argued that stronger leadership, transparency and accountability—rather than funding alone—are essential to fixing Namibian sport. Governance challenges facing the country's sport federations include failure to submit audited financial statements and complex accountability to multiple stakeholders.
The government distributed N$774 000 to athletes and coaches for medal-winning performances in the first quarter of 2026 across athletics, wrestling, full contact, inline hockey and Special Olympics Namibia. The Namibia Sports Commission said rewards are distributed under a Cabinet-approved 2018 policy based on defined criteria, replacing an ad hoc system that existed before 2018.
The Namibia Sports Commission held a reward ceremony recognizing athletes who won medals at international sporting events, distributing N$774,000 to Athletics Namibia, the Namibia Wrestling Federation, the Namibia Full-contact Martial Arts Federation and the Namibia Inline Hockey Federation in accordance with the 2018 NSC Reward Policy.
The Namibia Sports Commission has awarded a combined N$774,000 to five national sports federations in recognition of medal-winning performances by Namibian athletes at African and international competitions in the first quarter of 2026. The beneficiaries are Athletics Namibia, the Namibia Wrestling Federation, Namibia Full Contact Martial Arts, Namibia Inline Hockey and Special Olympics Namibia, with individual athletes receiving up to N$40,000 depending on medal type.
The 22nd Namibia Annual Sports Awards was launched with a revised framework grouping awards into Performance Excellence and Special Commendation categories. Key changes include Sport Star of the Year becoming an automatically awarded title for the highest-scoring finalist, and mergers of Federation/Community Inspiration and media awards into single categories.
The Namibia Sports Commission launched the 2026 edition of the annual sports awards with restructured categories, a new nomination process, and achievements from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026 to be considered. Key changes include grouping awards into Performance Excellence and Special Commendation categories, automatically awarding Sport Star of the Year to the highest-scoring finalist, and merging several award categories.
The Namibia Sports Commission faces uncertainty after four commissioners' contracts expired on 30 June, creating questions about the legality of the board's authority and control of banking systems. The remaining five active board members, whose terms expire in December, now lead the commission while authorities await clarification on new appointments.
Namibia's sport bodies have condemned the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture's decision to suspend all financial support to recognised sport federations and umbrella organisations, calling it a serious setback that threatens athlete development, competitions and employment. The suspension came after the ministry cited mounting financial constraints in a letter dated 15 June, despite having set aside approximately N$13.5 million for sport development programmes in April.
An additional N$50 million earmarked in the national budget could lift Namibia's sports investment to N$68.5 million this year, with funding directed towards elite athlete development, international competition preparation, and the Podium Performance Programme targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Namibia's national rowing team has departed for South Africa to compete in the Coastal Rowing Sprints Championship for the first time, with a six-member squad competing in single, double and mixed events in Cape Town from 27 to 28 June 2026. The competition marks a historic milestone for the sport in the country and opens a pathway towards future Olympic qualification.
Namibia's Jerome Rooi won bronze in the para-triathlon standing category at the World Triathlon Para Cup in Besancon, France, while teammate Mateus Angula finished seventh in the para-triathlon wheelchair category.
Rebbeka Goagoses, former president of Netball Namibia and acting president of Netball Africa, has been appointed to the World Netball board. The Namibia Sports Commission and Netball Namibia hailed the appointment as a significant achievement for Namibian sport and governance.
Outjo councillor Laurence Kandundu has resigned from the Namibia Football Association executive committee following a Namibia Sports Commission directive about Sport Act compliance, which prohibits local authority councillors from serving on sport federation executive committees.
The Race Wars drag-racing event between South Africa and Namibia drew a larger-than-expected crowd to the Tony Rust Race Track near Windhoek, with 65 car and motorcycle entries competing and organizers noting strong local and cross-border interest.
The Namibia Sports Commission has appointed an interim committee to oversee the Namibia Traditional Sport and Games Federation, tasked with stabilising federation affairs, implementing an official playbook, and organising an elective congress within 12 months. The committee will also promote, coordinate and administer indigenous games nationwide and establish regional structures.
The Namibia Sports Commission and Emeraldsand Platforms are organizing the country's first Creative Sport Tourism Expo, scheduled for September 2–4 at Dr Hage Geingob Stadium, aimed at leveraging sport, creativity and tourism to drive economic growth and showcase Namibian talent. The event is expected to attract over 18,000 visitors and 3,000 competing athletes.
Namibia and Botswana held a high-level bilateral engagement between their sports commissions in Gaborone to review progress under a 2021 Memorandum of Understanding and map a stronger path for regional sport development. The partnership has yielded results in athlete support, high-performance preparation, sport governance and regional cooperation through athlete exchanges, joint training camps, and event hosting.
A national swim team supported by the Namibia Podium Performance Programme has been sent to the 17th African Swimming Championships in Oran, Algeria, from 5 to 10 May, featuring eleven swimmers alongside a coach and team manager. The championships are expected to attract over 400 swimmers from 41 countries, and will introduce a new inter-zonal event where selected athletes represent Africa's four aquatic zones.
Eight Namibian wrestlers will compete at the African Continental Championships in Alexandria from 27 April to 4 May, fully funded and prepared by the Sports Commission. The delegation, led by national coach Luis Paz, includes 2023 African champion Calvin Dreyer and senior woman wrestler Ester Abraham, who is training in Ivory Coast under an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship.
Namibia has sent a nine-member wrestling team, supported by two coaches and one referee, to compete at the African Continental Championship in Alexandria, Egypt, scheduled for 25 April to 5 May 2026. The championship will feature Greco-Roman, freestyle, and women's wrestling across multiple age categories and is expected to draw around 500 athletes and officials from 27 African countries.
The Namibia Sports Commission board has outlined a new strategic direction focused on governance, performance, and athlete development following a recent leadership retreat, with the board aligning on four pillars: performance excellence, robust governance, financial sustainability, and structured athlete development.
The Namibia Sports Commission has adopted a clustered competition model for the National Youth Games to select Namibian athletes for the African Union Sport Council Region 5 Youth Games in Maputo. The new approach groups sports codes and regions into competition hubs to reduce costs while maintaining fair and transparent selection across 11 sport codes through regional and sport-specific trials scheduled for May.
Players from marginalised communities will represent Namibia at the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games in Mozambique later this year, selected through community games held by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare. The 2026 National Youth Games will use a clustered format to manage a reduced budget.
Sport betting company Castlebet has pledged N$300,000 to the Namibia Horse Racing Association's annual event in July at Rehoboth, with funds earmarked for securing a suitable racing track. The Namibia Sports Commission says the sponsorship is crucial given uncertain government funding and the need for private sector partnerships.
The Namibia Football Association spent approximately N$700,000 on the funeral of former secretary general Charles Siyauya and N$400,000 on that of executive member Michael Situde, raising concerns among insiders about the lack of a formal funeral policy and alignment with the organisation's development mandate. NFA officials disputed some details but acknowledged the absence of clear guidelines, while former leadership and current executives questioned whether such expenditure was justified given underfunding of youth football programmes.
As Namibia marks 36 years of independence, sports experts point to inadequate facilities, chronic underfunding and weak grassroots development as major obstacles despite some international achievements. They call for stronger government-private sector partnerships and structured talent pathways to convert Namibia's sporting participation into sustained international success.
The Namibia Boxing Federation held a national boxing championship in Keetmanshoop featuring more than 150 boxers from all 14 regions, with organizers noting strong growth in women's boxing and emerging talent ready to represent Namibia at international competitions including the Commonwealth Games. Erongo region won overall with 12 gold medals, and individual award winners included Misha Araes (best woman boxer), Immanuel Ndjike (best junior boxer), and Sinoka Sakaria (best male boxer).
The African Union Sports Council Region 5 chief executive has begun a strategic mission to Europe to foster global partnerships in innovation, inclusive sport, and technology across southern Africa. The initiative includes engagements with organizations such as the Global Disability Innovation Hub and Loughborough University, with focus on inclusivity in sport and research collaboration.
The Namibia Boxing National Championship kicks off in Keetmanshoop, with more than 150 boxers from all 14 regions competing to qualify for the Commonwealth Games and World Games. Erongo Region has won the title for the past seven years, but other regions are preparing to challenge for the championship.