Windhoek-June Wilhemina Shimuashili is young, eager and diligent. She completed the International Olympic Committee’s Young Reporters Programme in South America last month and is now ready to take on the male-dominated industry of Sports Journalism in Namibia. Twenty-four-year-old June Wilhemina Shimuashili recently returned from the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The young journalism honours degree graduate was part of thirty youngsters between the ages of 18 to 24 from around the world, who formed part of the third International Olympic Committee’s Youth Reporters Programme, which took place during the games. ”We were getting training from professionals , people that worked for BBC, people that have done a lot of things for the sports industry . We were also getting first hand training on media operation from the International Olympic Committee. It was just mind blowing, we were doing text, were doing Radio, were doing blocking, we were doing Tv work and all for sports. It was challenging it was crazy, there were tears, because it was just a new venture. A whole new space, out of the country put it was lovely” Shimuashili said. At this point in time, there are only a handful of female sports journalists in Namibia and Shimuashili hopes that picture will change in the near future. While she currently works in the entertainment section of the Namibian Sun newspaper, Shimuashili says she is not yet ready to call herself a sports journalist but will do everything in her power to join the ranks of Namibian sports reporters soon. “We have to break the stereo tape and the boundaries, we are capable, because the feel is that yah i can’t go in to the sun , or i can’t watch Boxing for instance because it's violent and my nails ,but it does not have to be like that, you can actually still have your nails done and your hair done and write about sports it does not mean that you have to change your gender or sex” she said. Shimuashili is grateful to the Namibia National Olympic Committee for according her the opportunity to be part of the training. “I learned the terms they use in sports, that was really challenging especially when you had to write. I thought sports was just something that you do , but there's actually more to sports than just watching grown people are kicking a Soccer ball for instance. It's the dedication, it's the discipline that comes with it. It’s how sports help to improve the lifestyle of the athletes and just their life in general” she added. The top 15 participants selected by the mentors will be invited to the second stage of training to attend the third Winter Youth Olympics Games slated for Lausanne, Switzerland in January 2020. “The one story that I wrote, which was also put up on the IOC website, revolved around how women are missing in the sports narrative. Where are the sports stories on women participating? They just make up a small component, compared to Football and Boxing where men dominate. A number of women do participate in sports, and through our writing we need to encourage more women to join in” Shimuashili concluded. Shimuashili is hopeful that the future will not just limit her to one beat, as she is excited to explore the different sub-genres in journalism.