From the Sidelines with Corry Ihuhua

THE end of October will see Namibian sportsmen and women honoured at the annual sports awards organised by the Namibia Sport Commission.

The list of nominations for the various categories is already being compiled and the organisers will face tough choices as, overall, Namibians did not perform exceptionally well compared to past years. The year 2004 proved difficult for individual sportsmen and women, while various teams had a torrid time on the fields trying to garner the desired results.Generally, Namibian sportswomen have not shone this year.It will not be easy for the Selection Committee to choose the Sportswoman of the Year as not many women can count themselves in the running.Apart from 800 metre runner Agnes Samaria, who struggled with nagging injuries this year, there are no other clear candidates.Although she was not among the medals at the Olympic Games, she made it to the finals Samaria received the Sportswomen award last year and it will be interesting to see if she is crowned once again.Long distance runner Beata Naigambo, who was unfortunately left out of the Namibian Olympic team, is another possibility.However, the field must be regarded as wide open.For the Sportsman of the Year, the name that automatically springs to mind is that of Namibia’s track master, Frank Fredericks.Fredericks has served Namibia with distinction and is considering calling it quits after a post-Olympic stint in Europe, which ends after the Golden League meets.It will be wise for him to be placed in a different category.He deserves it.The top contender for the Sportsman of the Year award will be Paulus Ambunda, who, as an amateur, has done wonders in the boxing ring.Ambunda, also known as ‘The Rock’, has developed into a complete demolisher of opponents.Testimony to this is his medals from the All Africa Games and in Asia, while he also made it through the first round at the Olympic Games.The Junior Sportsman and Women awards see plenty of youngsters in the running.There are a number who have done Namibia’s colours proud abroad, while some became instant world champions.Schalk Burger was crowned karate world champion in a specific discipline at the JSKA Karate World Champs in South Africa recently, while internationally youngster Henk van Blerk, has been brilliant with his bow and arrow in archery.There are also a number of young cyclists such as Arno Viljoen and Ermin van Wyk who have put in noteworthy performances.The Sport Team of the Year award will also be a tricky one as most teams that represented Namibia outside the country returned with mixed results and were not clear-cut winners at various competitions they took part in.The national cricket side made a clean sweep in Zambia during the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) qualifying tournament for Africa in August.The rugby teams, which toured South Africa for the Craven Week and other competitions, did not do well, while football, basketball, volleyball and hockey cannot be considered.The Namibian boxing team that took part in the All Africa Games also did well and it will be worth noting.Another category that is bound to have committee members scratching their heads is Development Programme of the Year.Most administrators failed to make an impact in developing their codes to noteworthy heights.Although money is key to development, some codes, such as cricket and hockey, are giving it their best shot.Football appears to have made a little more effort this time with the Pepsi Youth Development Programme and the Coca-Cola Youth Cup, currently underway countrywide.The Selection Committee should conduct themselves in a sufficiently transparent way in carrying out the process, while those who are nominated should remember that not everybody wins.The year 2004 proved difficult for individual sportsmen and women, while various teams had a torrid time on the fields trying to garner the desired results.Generally, Namibian sportswomen have not shone this year.It will not be easy for the Selection Committee to choose the Sportswoman of the Year as not many women can count themselves in the running.Apart from 800 metre runner Agnes Samaria, who struggled with nagging injuries this year, there are no other clear candidates.Although she was not among the medals at the Olympic Games, she made it to the finals Samaria received the Sportswomen award last year and it will be interesting to see if she is crowned once again.Long distance runner Beata Naigambo, who was unfortunately left out of the Namibian Olympic team, is another possibility.However, the field must be regarded as wide open.For the Sportsman of the Year, the name that automatically springs to mind is that of Namibia’s track master, Frank Fredericks.Fredericks has served Namibia with distinction and is considering calling it quits after a post-Olympic stint in Europe, which ends after the Golden League meets.It will be wise for him to be placed in a different category.He deserves it.The top contender for the Sportsman of the Year award will be Paulus Ambunda, who, as an amateur, has done wonders in the boxing ring.Ambunda, also known as ‘The Rock’, has developed into a complete demolisher of opponents.Testimony to this is his medals from the All Africa Games and in Asia, while he also made it through the first round at the Olympic Games.The Junior Sportsman and Women awards see plenty of youngsters in the running.There are a number who have done Namibia’s colours proud abroad, while some became instant world champions.Schalk Burger was crowned karate world champion in a specific discipline at the JSKA Karate World Champs in South Africa recently, while internationally youngster Henk van Blerk, has been brilliant with his bow and arrow in archery.There are also a number of young cyclists such as Arno Viljoen and Ermin van Wyk who have put in noteworthy performances.The Sport Team of the Year award will also be a tricky one as most teams that represented Namibia outside the country returned with mixed results and were not clear-cut winners at various competitions they took part in.The national cricket side made a clean sweep in Zambia during the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) qualifying tournament for Africa in August.The rugby teams, which toured South Africa for the Craven Week and other competitions, did not do well, while football, basketball, volleyball and hockey cannot be considered.The Namibian boxing team that took part in the All Africa Games also did well and it will be worth noting.Another category that is bound to have committee members scratching their heads is Development Programme of the Year.Most administrators failed to make an impact in developing their codes to noteworthy heights.Although money is key to development, some codes, such as cricket and hockey, are giving it their best shot.Football appears to have made a little more effort this time with the Pepsi Youth Development Programme and the Coca-Cola Youth Cup, currently underway countrywide.The Selection Committee should conduct themselves in a sufficiently transparent way in carrying out the process, while those who are nominated should remember that not everybody wins.