For a group of athletes from Namibia, the journey to the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 was more than just a flight across continents–it was a leap toward new experiences, self-belief, and a future filled with expanded possibilities.
Around six months ago, the team began playing floorball, a sport that was almost unheard of in Namibia. Without a proper court, they played on netball fields. Without stadiums, they trained under the open sky. Without proper footwear, they practiced through blisters, calluses, and sores. Without official equipment, they used old sticks from the Special Olympics World Winter Games Austria 2017, some of which were broken and barely playable. Despite these challenges, their passion for the game persisted.
Their journey began years ago at the Môreson Special School, where the formation of the team was initiated by German volunteers who introduced the game of floorball to Special Olympics Namibia athletes. With no official floorball federation in their country, the emerging floorball community relied on the enthusiasm of students and volunteers to keep the sport alive. In time, national competitions emerged, teams were built from scratch, and eager to participate, some athletes even crafted sticks from wood and whatever materials they could find. Floorball quickly gained popularity, but resources remained scarce.
Then came the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to compete internationally at the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The excitement was mixed with nerves; for many athletes, this was not only their first competition abroad but also their first time leaving Namibia. The road to Italy was long, requiring a stop in South Africa just to secure visas. It was also the athletes' first time flying, first time staying in a hotel, and first time stepping onto a proper court with professional equipment and properly sized shoes.
Arriving in Turin, everything felt surreal. The towering buildings, the cold European air, the bustling streets. Every moment was a discovery for them. They were no longer just a small team from Namibia playing on borrowed sticks; they were athletes poised to compete on the world stage, surrounded by teams from across the globe. Before stepping foot on the floorball court, the athletes had the opportunity to address some of the challenges they experienced with improper footwear which they persevered through over the course of training.
This started by visiting Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®, a program which provides free and accessible screenings to all Special Olympics athletes. At the World Winter Games in Turin, seven disciplines were offered to athletes.
On Sunday, 9 March the team entered in the largest indoor arena in Italy, Inalpi, to attend the Healthy Athletes screenings. Their first stop was Fit Feet (podiatry), a Healthy Athletes discipline that isn’t offered in Namibia. In turn, attending Fit Feet marked the first podiatric screening the team had ever received. Fit Feet measures and checks every athlete for proper shoe size, inspects the skin and structure of their feet, examines overall lower extremity biomechanics, and educates athletes on proper foot hygiene and care. Alongside the general podiatric exam, Fit Feet also included a diabetic foot screening—the first time this screening had ever been offered at a World Games.
For the Namibia team, the screening revealed that three of the eight athletes wore improperly sized shoes, with an additional three athletes needing to be treated by the medical services team for foot blisters and wounds.
Uaundjombura Tjiramba, one of the athletes screened, shared that he felt pain and pressure on his foot due to a wound sustained back home. At Fit Feet, Uaundjombura received a full foot examination, including recommendations for proper footwear and guidance on managing pressure points. “[Fit Feet] was nice,” Uaundjombura mentioned. “I don’t feel pain too much now.” By the end of the screening, Uaundjombura was provided with orthotics (shoe inserts) to relieve the pressure and immediately reported relief.
With the assistance of clinical volunteers, the team’s feet were assessed and athletes left with the information necessary to select the correctly sized shoes for their upcoming competition. Equipped with this knowledge, the team headed out of Inalpi to procure new shoes and arrived at their matches with more comfort and confidence.
Arriving at the first day of competition with new shoes in tow, the team was nervous, but they knew that they had already accomplished so much. These athletes were not just competing. They were growing, learning, and embracing the experience together. Winning was not the sole objective: it was about proving to themselves and their community back home that they belonged here, that they deserved this opportunity, and that they were capable of achieving more than they ever imagined.
Their experience at the Special Olympics isn’t just about floorball–it is about life-changing moments, about realizing their own potential, and about returning home with stories that inspire others.
Dr. Twahafifwa Nambuwa, the team doctor, shared reflections on Namibia’s experience at the World Winter Games and the impact of the Healthy Athletes screenings:
“For us from Namibia, this is a good experience because we get to take back some of the lessons and just go speak about our experience. But it’s also just good to meet other healthcare professionals at Special Olympics and learn a thing or two, like just now at Fit Feet.”
Since 2007, more than 140,000 Fit Feet screenings have been provided to Special Olympics athletes globally. Among athletes screened, 62% wear the wrong size shoe, and 56% show signs of a skin or nail condition–impacting both their foot health and sports performance. Fit Feet serves to improve these foot health concerns onsite and through direct referral to podiatric care providers in athletes’ communities.
Now back home, the team carries more than just memories. They carry proof that they, too, can dream big and achieve greatness. They’re sharing their stories, not just about the Games, but about the people they met, the cultures they encountered, the care they received, and the belief that they are capable of anything. As their Head of Delegations so beautifully put it: "They go back knowing that they are all capable and that they deserve more."
