SPORT IN NAMIBIA Conflicts, Negotiations and Struggles since Independence

remarkable achievement for a country with a population of only 1.9 million people. This study addresses the current socio-political situation in Namibia, Africa in relation to the organization of sport. The article is based on two research visits to Namibia in which interviews were conducted with key providers of sport in Namibia. The results show that Namibia has made great strides in the admin-istration and organization of sport since independence in 1990, and give a sense of the struggles and barriers involved in sport development in a newly independent developing nation. Key words • Namibia • physical education • sport development Participation at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games marked the acceptance of Namibia as an independent state in the world of sport. The country was recog-nized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) one year earlier in June 1991. Success in athletics at the Olympic Games, and in athletics, cricket, rugby union and netball in their respective World Championships, has helped Namibia in the process of becoming recognized in the world of sport, and helped in the process of nation-building (Jarvie, 1993a). This article represents a very preliminary attempt to accept Jarvie’s challeng