Namibia and China have taken a step towards strengthening their sporting relationship following the signing of a four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between their respective Olympic committees in Dakar, Senegal.
The agreement was signed on Sunday, 1 November 2026, on the sidelines of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games by Dr Ndeulipula Hamutumwa, President of the Namibia National Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Association (NNOC-CGA), and Gao Zhidan, President of the Chinese Olympic Committee and China’s Minister of Sport.
The partnership targets athlete development and high-performance sport ahead of LA 2028.
The MoU establishes a framework for cooperation and exchanges in high-performance sport, athlete development, international competitions, sports science, sports medicine and anti-doping initiatives.
The partnership is also expected to create opportunities for direct cooperation between national sporting federations, allowing Namibian athletes, coaches and technical specialists to benefit from international exposure, knowledge exchange and potential training partnerships.
China’s experience in Olympic disciplines such as gymnastics, swimming, diving, badminton, table tennis, weightlifting and shooting has been identified as an opportunity for Namibia to strengthen its high-performance sporting programmes.
The cooperation comes as Namibia looks to improve its athlete development pathways and preparations towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and future international competitions.
Dr Hamutumwa said the agreement was an important step towards creating meaningful international opportunities for Namibian athletes and sporting federations.
“China has demonstrated remarkable success across numerous Olympic disciplines, and through this partnership, we hope to translate that experience into practical development opportunities for Namibian sport,” he said.
NNOC-CGA Chief Executive Officer Anri Parker said the agreement forms part of a broader international cooperation strategy aimed at connecting Namibian sport with countries that have specialised expertise and established high-performance systems.
She emphasised that the objective was to move beyond formal agreements and ensure that partnerships translate into practical benefits for athletes, coaches and national federations.
The NNOC-CGA said the agreement would provide a basis for identifying priority areas for implementation in collaboration with the Chinese Olympic Committee and Namibia’s national sporting federations.
The four-year partnership also reinforces the shared commitment of the two Olympic committees to the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, while strengthening sporting relations between Namibia and China.She emphasised that the objective was to move beyond formal agreements and ensure that partnerships translate into practical benefits for athletes, coaches and national federations.
The NNOC-CGA said the agreement would provide a basis for identifying priority areas for implementation in collaboration with the Chinese Olympic Committee and Namibia’s national sporting federations.
The four-year partnership also reinforces the shared commitment of the two Olympic committees to the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, while strengthening sporting relations between Namibia and China. Photo Credit:@namibianoc
By Rudi Bowe
