Athletes have to sign code of conduct

ALL sportsmen and women who will represent Namibia at international competitions will be obliged to sign a code of conduct.

This was revealed by Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) Chief Administrator Rusten Mogane during a courtesy call by a Namibia youth athletics team at his office on Wednesday. Mogane told Nampa afterwards that the code of conduct was prepared for the team that represented Namibia at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, but was never implemented.He said an NSC board meeting held on May 18 endorsed the document, which would come into effect soon.It will be the first code of conduct for local athletes.Any athlete caught contravening the code of conduct while on national duty would be brought to book through a disciplinary hearing that could lead to suspension from the national team, said Mogane.He added that the athletes would have to sign the document before they took part in international competitions.Mogane said that all the sports commissioners and all sports codes affiliated to the NSC would be obliged to sign the document.The NSC Appeals Committee has started to work on procedures to deal with athletes who contravene the code of conduct, he said.No athlete has ever been suspended for any wrongdoing while on national duty, said Mogane.Mogane, a former national team football coach and high school teacher, took office at the commission this year and has already started tightening the screws on sports codes that do not adhere to the commission’s rules and regulations.With the new Sport Act in force, the Namibia Sport Commission, which is mainly responsible for distributing funds to national teams, has now been empowered to closely monitor the affairs of the different sports codes it funds.-NampaMogane told Nampa afterwards that the code of conduct was prepared for the team that represented Namibia at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, but was never implemented.He said an NSC board meeting held on May 18 endorsed the document, which would come into effect soon.It will be the first code of conduct for local athletes.Any athlete caught contravening the code of conduct while on national duty would be brought to book through a disciplinary hearing that could lead to suspension from the national team, said Mogane.He added that the athletes would have to sign the document before they took part in international competitions.Mogane said that all the sports commissioners and all sports codes affiliated to the NSC would be obliged to sign the document.The NSC Appeals Committee has started to work on procedures to deal with athletes who contravene the code of conduct, he said.No athlete has ever been suspended for any wrongdoing while on national duty, said Mogane.Mogane, a former national team football coach and high school teacher, took office at the commission this year and has already started tightening the screws on sports codes that do not adhere to the commission’s rules and regulations.With the new Sport Act in force, the Namibia Sport Commission, which is mainly responsible for distributing funds to national teams, has now been empowered to closely monitor the affairs of the different sports codes it funds.-Nampa