Namibia lose all in volleyball

THE Namibian men’s and women’s volleyball teams failed to qualify for the All Africa Games later this year after they ended last in the Zone Six championships held at the coast last weekend.

Both national teams were ranked last in their categories, but the worst is that neither team won a single match. South Africa won the Zone Six championships, giving them qualification to the All Africa Games, which will be held in Algeria, while Botswana also qualified as the second best team at the tournament.Namibia performed poorly, with none of their teams winning a single match during the entire tournament, which was held at the Walvis Bay Indoor Complex.The men’s team lost their first match 1-3 to Zambia, before falling by the same margin against Botswana.They went on to lose 1-3 to Zimbabwe in their last match, a result that eventually flung them out of the tournament.The women’s team were first downed 0-3 by Botswana, before they lost 2-3 to Zimbabwe.The two losses signified their exit from the event, which attracted six nations in the women’s section, while seven countries competed in the men’s division.For men, South Africa was ranked first as they beat Botswana 3-0 in the final, while for women, South Africa also took first spot by dismissing Botswana 3-0 too.The win by both South African teams confirmed their status as Zone Six champions, and they also gained automatic qualification to the continental games which will be held in June this year.NO EXPERT COACH The Namibia Volleyball Federation’s (NVF) director of media and marketing, Rudi Bowe, said the losses by the Namibian teams could be attributed to a lack of international participation and expertise of an international coach.”The NVF is still awaiting the arrival of the promised Cuban coach.But up to now, it has been at least four years down the line and this promise has not been fulfilled,” he said.He said the Directorate of Sport in the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture was supposed to appoint a Cuban coach for the country’s national teams, but there has been no progress on that front.He said a few years back, current South African head coach Hamed El-Wasimi, who hails from Egypt, conducted a Level One coaching clinic in Namibia and said that the country was in need of an experienced coach.At the time, El-Wasimi said Namibia had many talented players and it was advisable for a foreign coach with experience be in charge to lift the level of the game.Joel Matthews is the current head coach of the Namibian teams.He said they made a request to the Directorate of Sport to hire El-Wasimi, but it was shot down, with promises that a Cuban coach will instead be brought in for the national teams.El-Wasimi coaches the South Africa teams at the moment and will be in charge when the teams compete at the All Africa Games, as well as the African Nations Cup in September in Durban, South Africa.South Africa won the Zone Six championships, giving them qualification to the All Africa Games, which will be held in Algeria, while Botswana also qualified as the second best team at the tournament.Namibia performed poorly, with none of their teams winning a single match during the entire tournament, which was held at the Walvis Bay Indoor Complex.The men’s team lost their first match 1-3 to Zambia, before falling by the same margin against Botswana.They went on to lose 1-3 to Zimbabwe in their last match, a result that eventually flung them out of the tournament.The women’s team were first downed 0-3 by Botswana, before they lost 2-3 to Zimbabwe.The two losses signified their exit from the event, which attracted six nations in the women’s section, while seven countries competed in the men’s division.For men, South Africa was ranked first as they beat Botswana 3-0 in the final, while for women, South Africa also took first spot by dismissing Botswana 3-0 too.The win by both South African teams confirmed their status as Zone Six champions, and they also gained automatic qualification to the continental games which will be held in June this year.NO EXPERT COACH The Namibia Volleyball Federation’s (NVF) director of media and marketing, Rudi Bowe, said the losses by the Namibian teams could be attributed to a lack of international participation and expertise of an international coach.”The NVF is still awaiting the arrival of the promised Cuban coach.But up to now, it has been at least four years down the line and this promise has not been fulfilled,” he said.He said the Directorate of Sport in the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture was supposed to appoint a Cuban coach for the country’s national teams, but there has been no progress on that front.He said a few years back, current South African head coach Hamed El-Wasimi, who hails from Egypt, conducted a Level One coaching clinic in Namibia and said that the country was in need of an experienced coach.At the time, El-Wasimi said Namibia had many talented players and it was advisable for a foreign coach with experience be in charge to lift the level of the game.Joel Matthews is the current head coach of the Namibian teams.He said they made a request to the Directorate of Sport to hire El-Wasimi, but it was shot down, with promises that a Cuban coach will instead be brought in for the national teams.El-Wasimi coaches the South Africa teams at the moment and will be in charge when the teams compete at the All Africa Games, as well as the African Nations Cup in September in Durban, South Africa.