15 Mar 2022

Athletes Commission to Pioneer Career Development Workshop

A workshop assisting Namibian athletes to maximize their education and identify employment opportunities will be hosted by the Athletes Commission, under the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) on Saturday 15th June 2019 at Am Weinberg Conference Centre in Windhoek. This one-day workshop, entitled Career+ Outreach Workshop: Preparation for Lifelong Excellence, is aimed to help athletes to confidently stride into a dual or new post-competitive sports career using their transferable skills. Career+ is intended to support athletes at every stage of their career, enabling them to discover their full potential.

Using the scheme, athletes will be able to plan their working life outside the world of competitive sport by providing advice, training and peer-to-peer learning. Athletes’ Commission Chairperson, Gaby Ahrens explains that athletes are not always readily prepared and equipped to transition into other roles once they have retired from competitive sport. “Athletes are presented with numerous challenges during and after competition from dealing with depression, finding their purpose, to trying to fit into the professional business world.” Ahrens further explains, “Many athletes are focused on competing and fail to develop professional skills, making it difficult for them to obtain employment once they have retired, further obstructing them in their future career. This places a further burden on them as their finances become strained.” Olympian Basketball player and ANOCA Athletes Commission Member, Kady Kanoute Tounkara from Mali will present the workshop. Tounkara participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as co-captain of Mali Women’s Basketball Team.

She was a professional player for several years in Europe (Spain, France, Austria) and five-time French National champion before completing her Marketing and Management Degree at Fordham University (New York – USA), where she was a full scholarship recipient and captain for four years. Kady also successfully competed in NCAA Division One. As an ANOCA Athletes Commission nominee since 2013, and president for Zone 2, she is a volunteer who represents, empowers and educates athletes. Kady is an active trainer and promoter of the IOC ACP Outreach Programme globally and in particular, Africa. The dynamic training programme, which utilizes a hands-on approach, is designed to provide guidance through in-person sessions for a broader range of athletes. “The workshop material has been designed to specifically support elite athletes to balance sports training and competition, alongside their education. It is also designed to help them to manage dual careers.

Key to the programme is building a game plan for future success in life and training will also involve networking, drafting CVs and preparation for interviews.” The workshop is primarily aimed at elite athletes who have participated at continental, regional and national level, however, coaches and other support staff will also benefit and are encouraged to attend so they can pass on their knowledge to their athletes. Gaby Ahrens can be contacted at mobile number 0812723438 or by email at [email protected].