The Namibia Sports Commission’s (NSC) appeal committee on Friday dismissed an appeal in which local coach Letu Hamhola and para-athletes Ananias Shikongo and Johannes Nambala disputed their omission from the ‘Coach of the Year’ as well as ‘Star of the Year’ categories at the 2021 Annual Sports Awards.

The categories were won by Namibian sprint sensation Christine Mboma and her coach, Henk Botha, and not by the two Paralympic stars, even though they, as argued by Hamhola, had well-documented achievements leading up to the awards.

Hamhola has argued that the commission is prejudiced against athletes with disabilities. He took to social media to air his frustrations, claiming perennial and systemic unfairness towards his stars, who had been overlooked.

Review

After considering submissions from all parties, the appeal committee tossed out the case and ordered the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) to review its constitution and implement certain recommendations.

A formal written verdict will be handed down today.

Hamhola, who is also a chief sporting officer at the ministry of sport, held a press conference last month, where he queried his exclusion from the Commonwealth Games team and accused the NNOC of having become a “clandestine organisation that promotes people on a basis of white privilege, favoritism, and has disregard for athletes’ mental health.”Caption