Namibian Athletes Commissioner Gaby Ahrens told NBC this week that having been at the Olympic Games in Tokyo as an administrator instead of an athlete was a different, but great experience. A former Olympic trap shooter, Ahrens competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. In an exclusive interview with the NBC, she explained that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics marked her first time as an official and not as an athlete competing and that this in itself was a huge eye opener for her. ”For the first time I realised the dynamics of the team, the challenges and the emotions of all the athletes and coaches, what they are going through and how to manage it best” Ahrens said. She added: “So it was very interesting for me, being on the other side of the table and trying to manage different people, who all come with their different challenges. It was great as there was a lot of team building and we supported each other”. Ahrens explained that Tokyo itself was also very different compared to other games, mainly because of the strict Covid regulations. The delegation was not really allowed to go outside and explore the city and the country. They were only permitted to be in the athletes’ village or respective sport venues and thus could not fully experience the culture and get to know the country. They were also hindered from supporting other sportsmen and women in their team. “The daily Covid test was yet another challenge and added a lot of stress to the coaches and athletes, because they had to hope that the tests were negative, or face going to an isolation hotel for 14 days and miss competition” Ahrens narrated. She said that despite obvious challenges, the games were very well organised and that Japan did an amazing job. She commended team Namibia’s strong performances at the Tokyo games. “It takes a lot out of a person to be an Olympian. It takes a lot of sacrifices over many years and each and every one of those eleven athletes did extremely well and we are so proud of them. Christine brought it home, she got that illusive Olympic medal after 26 years. She brought it back to Namibia and to be part of the team to feel those emotions of how sport can unify a nation and uplift the spirit of so many people in such tough economic and Covid times was really great to see. I’m so proud of each and every one of them” she added. The sport management masters graduate has vowed to continuously plough back into the community of Namibian athletes.