Schools gala promotes growth of aquatic sport

The 2026 Pupkewitz Foundation Schools Development Gala brought together young swimmers from across Namibia, with competitions held in Swakopmund, Windhoek and Oranjemund, providing learners with an opportunity to showcase their abilities and gain competitive swimming experience.

The initiative organised under the theme ‘Three Regions. One Vision – Growing Aquatic Sport in Namibia’, aimed to strengthen school-level swimming by creating opportunities for young athletes to develop their skills, build confidence and represent their respective schools.

The first regional competition took place in Swakopmund on 17 October, followed by the Windhoek gala on 30 and 31 October, while Oranjemund hosted its competition on 31 October.

In Swakopmund, Private School Swakopmund emerged as the overall leader in the combined team rankings with 542.5 points. Private School Swakopmund Secondary finished second with 359 points, while Pro-Ed Akademie secured third place with 354 points.

Windhoek’s Deutsche Höhere Privatschule dominated both the primary and secondary combined divisions, collecting 559 and 349 points respectively. The competition also saw seven individual Namibian Schools records and three relay records broken, highlighting the level of talent among the young swimmers.

Oranjemund Private School topped both the primary and secondary combined team rankings, recording 1 058 and 352 points respectively. Garibams also produced a competitive performance, finishing with 315 points in the combined rankings.

Beyond the competition results, the three regional galas provided an important platform for grassroots swimming development, promoting participation, sportsmanship and the identification of emerging talent.

The Namibia Aquatic Sports Federation (Nasfed) acknowledged the Pupkewitz Foundation for its financial support and continued commitment to developing aquatic sport at school level.

The federation also recognised the contributions of participating schools, school management teams, teachers, coaches, parents, technical officials, volunteers and organisers who helped ensure the successful hosting of the competitions.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts to expand access to swimming and create opportunities for more young Namibians to participate in organised aquatic sport.

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