Erasmus Shalihaxwe
The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service has allocated N$4.9 million to support both the men’s and women’s teams that will be competing at the 2025 Indoor Hockey World Cup in Poreč, Croatia.
Deputy Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service, Emma Kantema announced the monetary support for the teams on Monday at the ministry’s premises during a special send-off for the teams.
She said this is part of the ministry’s mandate to support the growth of sports in the country and motivate players and team officials to perform better on the international stage.
“This is noteworthy seeing that the budgetary allocation for the National Hockey Union for March 2024 to March 2025 was N$1 million.
In total, the government has supported the Namibian Hockey Union with N$6 million this financial year.
“As we look toward Croatia, we aim not only to improve on previous performances but also to reach the quarterfinals and beyond. The government remains committed to supporting our teams with necessary resources because sport fosters unity and national pride,” she said.
Kantema added that the women’s team has shown remarkable resilience after finishing as runners-up at the African stage in recent tournaments.
Currently, the men’s team holds the 14th position in world rankings, while the women’s team holds the 12th position.
“This reflects years of dedication and investment from the government, corporate Namibia, and Hockey Namibia. Both teams have demonstrated exceptional readiness for the World Cup,” alluded the deputy minister.
While speaking at the same occasion, Namibia Sports Commission Chief Administrator Freddy Mwiya said this is the first team to be sent off in 2025 to represent the country in a bigger competition.
“The team selected all meet requirements in terms of our laws. Hence we are happy as the regulator that two teams, both male and female, are going to represent the country,” said Mwiya.
The tournament will run from 3 to 9 February, with 12 countries from 50 confederations expected to compete.
Namibia’s first game is on 3 February against Belgium before facing Trinidad and Tobago on 5 February, and the last group game will be against Australia on 6 February.
