🇳🇦NamibiaSouthern Africa
Olympic chief confident for LA Games despite World Cup challenges
via The Namibian2 min read
Olympic chief Kirsty Coventry expressed confidence on Wednesday regarding the successful hosting of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, despite acknowledging “challenges” faced by the World Cup. The football tournament, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, is set to begin on Thursday. The build-up to the June 11-July 19 competition has been affected by fans, a top referee, and team officials being barred from the event. A record 48 teams and millions of supporters are expected for this World Cup. The refusal of US immigration authorities to allow Somali referee Omar Artan into the country highlighted concerns that US President Donald Trump’s immigration policy could impact the tournament. Coventry, president of the International Olympic Committee, stated, “I am confident that in two years we will be able to overcome a number of the challenges that the World Cup are facing right now.” She emphasized the importance of “collaboration and learning” and continuous work with the local organizing committee and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee to incorporate feedback from stakeholders. Coventry believes this process will lead to a successful LA 2028 Games, scheduled for July 14-30, 2028, during President Trump's presidency.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
Tadej Pogacar is poised to secure a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title after Saturday's stage 20, with Richard Carapaz winning the stage on Alpe d’Huez. Pogacar, 27, will join cycling legends like Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx as a five-time winner, and will be the youngest to achieve this feat. He finished fourth on the stage, riding arm-in-arm with teammate Isaac Del Toro, who secured third place overall and the best young rider's white jersey. Pogacar dedicated his efforts to helping Del Toro maintain his position, stating it was an honor to ride for him. Carapaz, who won his second stage in three days, also claimed the King of the Mountains polkadot jersey, finishing eighth overall. The stage was challenging for American Sepp Kuss, who crashed twice in the final 7km while leading Carapaz, ultimately losing his advantage. Kuss's crashes allowed Carapaz to take the stage win. Dane Mads Pedersen secured the sprinters’ green points jersey. The final stage on Sunday is expected to be a procession into Paris, where Pogacar will officially claim his victory.
Lando Norris of McLaren secured his first pole position of the year at the Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly beating Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari. Norris, 26, recorded a lap time of 1 minute and 17.207 seconds, just 0.012 seconds faster than Hamilton, who was aiming for his 10th pole at the track. Charles Leclerc, in the second Ferrari, qualified third, followed by world championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes in fourth. Oscar Piastri of McLaren and four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull completed the top six. Norris expressed his happiness, noting the session was tough but their upgrades helped. Hamilton, 41, acknowledged Norris's achievement and reflected on their qualifying strategy, while Leclerc cited wind changes as a factor in his performance. The qualifying session began in hot conditions with a track temperature of 52C.
The Namibian police and four farmer organizations, including the Namibia Agricultural Union NAU, the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers’ Union NECFU, the Namibia National Farmers’ Union NNFU, and the Previously Disadvantaged Namibians’ Farmers’ Union PDNFU, have signed a 10-year agreement to enhance efforts against stock theft and other crimes affecting farmers. The agreement, signed in Windhoek, establishes a framework for preventing, detecting, and reducing crimes, particularly stock theft. This new pact replaces a previous agreement between the police and the NAU that concluded in March 2024. Acting Inspector General Anne-Marie Nainda noted that the prior agreement improved cooperation and communication between law enforcement and the farming community through the national rural safety strategy. Nainda highlighted that crimes in rural areas, such as stock theft, illegal grazing, poaching, and infrastructure vandalism, continue to challenge farmers and the national economy. She also acknowledged the Joint Crime Prevention Forum, established in 2018 by the NAU and NECFU, for strengthening farmer-police cooperation, advising on rural safety, supporting regional initiatives, and facilitating dialogue.