The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, in partnership with QKR Namibia's Navachab Gold Mine and other stakeholders, officially sent off the winners of the 2025 Navachab Half Marathon.

The athletes will represent Namibia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon Championships, scheduled to take place on 27 June 2026 in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

The send-off ceremony highlighted the importance of investing in grassroots sports development and providing local athletes with opportunities to compete internationally.

"We have seen the need for athletes to compete in South Africa, and this provides a platform for them to improve their times. We are also benchmarking races in South Africa to align and develop our runners." said technical director Berthold Karumendu.

The public relations officer of Navachab Gold Mine, Mclyn Kasale said participation in the championships will expose the athletes to higher levels of competition while promoting sport development and national representation.

"The main objective is exposure. The athletes must learn from the experience on the ground, and the idea is to grow beyond this initiative."

The athletes expressed gratitude to the sponsors and organisers for the opportunity and pledged to represent Namibia to the best of their abilities.

"Preparations are going well, and I am looking forward to competing and representing Namibia." Said Matias Simon.

Elton Hiskia said, "I am grateful to Navachab for this opportunity to travel and learn how events are organised in the marathon community."

During the send-off, Navachab Gold Mine Marketing Manager Tuafi Shafombabi announced that entries for the 2026 edition of the race are now open and encouraged athletes to participate.

Applications are now open, and we encourage runners from across the country to participate.

The delegation is expected to depart for South Africa on Friday, ahead of the championships scheduled for Saturday.