Namibia scoops up experience at inaugural Unified World Cup

Volleyball
Mariud Ngula
  • 1 Day Ago 15 October 2025
Special Olympics Namibia (SON) came away with invaluable experience at the inaugural Special Olympics Unified Volleyball World Cup recently held in Katowice, Poland.

Namibia fielded 12 of its top players, comprising the Omusati Volleyball women’s team, which earned its place following a gold-medal performance at SON’s National Unified Volleyball Games last month.

They competed against players from eight other countries for top honours.

Drawn in Group C of two women’s groups alongside Group D, Namibia had a slow start in the round robin, conceding 2-1 to India (Bharat) and 2-0 to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

They, however, found their footing to secure a 2-0 win over Italy in their final group-stage encounter. The win was enough to place them third in the group on four points, ahead of Italy on two.



Tournament placement

In the placement playoffs, Namibia beat Mongolia 2-1 before securing another 2-1 win over Italy to finish fifth overall out of eight nations. The tournament was won by the UAE team.

Reflecting on the team’s participation in Poland, SON national director Levien Smit expressed pride at the opportunity for players “to participate in such a high-level event.”

She described the experience as an “amazing chance” to travel, make friends and experience another world.

“SON is grateful for this opportunity. The exposure and opportunity to grow can never be underestimated. They are a young team, and we have grounds to grow opportunities for volleyball in the country, to run more local competitions and leagues,” she said.

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