Namibia archer tacticians pledge to support Malawi
The Namibia archery coach Marja Woortman and technical director Rudiger Woortman (not related) have offered to host Malawi archers at every international competition they will be hosting.
The two renowned archery coaching instructors were in the country to facilitate a week long Level One International Coaching Course courtesy of World Archery through the Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC).
Namibia has a rich history in the sport having participated at the Commonwealth Games and also in some European tournaments.
“We have seen that Malawi is committed to developing the sport. From what we have seen there is so much hunger and enthusiasm. We are happy to work with Malawi and we will be inviting them to participate in any international tournament we will be hosting so as to expose the archers,” said Marja in an interview on Saturday.
She also expressed satisfaction with the commitment shown by the 30 coaches who took part in the course.
“They were also willing to learn and that made it easy for us. I have no doubt that the sport will grow in the country. I urge them to be active after this course, “ said Marja.
Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC) president Oscar Kanjala, who was the guest of honour during the closing ceremony, thanked the Namibians for the offer.
“Our friends [in Namibia] are advanced in the sport and to partner them is great news for us. We believe through this working relationship, our game will grow faster, “ he said.
Kanjala challenged the participants to come up with an individual action plan and that MOC will support them.
“What we want from them is not to relax but immediately initiate an activity and we are ready to support them. It is important that they [participants] don’t lose steam, .”
Archery Association of Malawi general secretary Henry Sakala also thanked the Namibians for extending a hand of friendship.
“We can only grow as a sport through involvement in international competitions. That’s how best we can measure our progress,” said Sakala. n
