WINDHOEK, 7 September 2026 — Namibia’s Women’s Rugby Sevens team has received a major boost after the Namibia National Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Association (NNOC-CGA), in partnership with the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU), secured a US$50,000 Olympic Solidarity Team Support Grant towards the team’s preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The funding will support athlete development, coaching and technical assistance, training camps, international competition exposure and other high-performance programmes as Namibia works towards the Olympic qualification pathway.
NNOC-CGA Chief Executive Officer Anri Parker said the investment goes beyond financial support, creating opportunities for Namibian women to develop their sporting careers and compete at the highest level.
She said the initiative also supports Namibia’s broader development priorities under the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), particularly in youth empowerment, gender equality, skills development and human capital.
“This US$50,000 investment is about much more than funding a team. It is about creating an opportunity for Namibian women to compete, develop and ultimately challenge for a place on the Olympic stage,” Parker said.
NRU Chief Executive Officer John Heyns described the grant as an important catalyst for accelerating the development of women’s rugby in Namibia.
He said the programme would help establish a structured high-performance environment while strengthening the pathway from grassroots participation to national and international competition.
“LA28 provides us with a clear long-term objective, but the value of this programme extends well beyond Olympic qualification,” Heyns said.
The two organisations stressed that Olympic qualification is an ambitious goal and is not guaranteed. The programme will therefore be implemented through defined development and performance targets, with monitoring and accountability measures in place.
The initiative forms part of the NNOC-CGA’s broader Road to LA28 strategy, which aims to identify realistic Olympic qualification opportunities early and provide National Federations with structured pathways to develop athletes and teams.
For Namibia’s Women’s Rugby Sevens players, the grant marks an important step towards building a stronger and more competitive programme while creating greater opportunities for women and girls in rugby.
