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| Sports |
| Tennis, volleyball want exposure |
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by
Oris Chimenya, 01 May 2005
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15:26:11
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Lawn Tennis Association of Malawi (LTAM) and Volleyball Association of Malawi (Vam) have urged Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association of Malawi (Ocgam) to include them in the next editions of the games but Ocgam says it is considering volleyball but not tennis, arguing the sport here is not a full member of International Tennis Federation (ITF).
LTAM national coach Thompson Mtengula complained that the sport has never gone to the Olympics where other countries send their tennis teams.
“Our friends go to the Olympics to play either on solidarity, but tennis does not go. But we believe we have talent that we can display it there,” he said.
Mtengula said the country has good tennis talent in the names of Angella Msosa, Mary Makunganya, Musopa Kumwenda, Tadala Kandulu and Richard Katandika.
During the International Tennis Federation (ITF)/Cocacola Africa Foundation (CAF) competition for the Southern and Eastern Africa held in South Africa in January this year, Msosa scooped four gold medals while Makunganya got two gold medals. Kumwenda got two gold and one silver medals while Katandika brought home two silver medals.
But Ocgam president Jerome Waluza said in an interview it was not possible for tennis to go to the Olympics.
“We will be talking to them but they should be full members of the ITF first because their international body [ITF] cannot approve their participation in the Olympic games with the current half membership,” he said.
He said for a country to be full member of the body, it needs to have six tennis courts at one place.
Mtengula said although they are not yet full members, they would still be willing to go on solidarity.
Vam general secretary Elwin Sambo said that while they realise that they cannot shine at the moment on the international scene, they need to get exposed.
“There is no volleyball at the Olympic Games but we can appreciate very much if we can go to the Commonwealth Games and get exposed and improve our talent because we are just building our talent base,” said Sambo.
Asked whether the games are for exposure, Sambo said “We are not claiming to have good and international talent, but the exposure”.
Southern Region Volleyball League (SRVL) chairman Martin Hausi agreed with him, saying international exposure is very important.
Waluza said the sport will be considered funds permitting.
Hockey Association of Malawi (Ham) general secretary Khrishna Achuthan said the sport needs to qualify to go to Olympics.
“We have never qualified because the standards are just too high and in Africa, only Egypt and South Africa do qualify because they are they best in African standards,” said Achuthan.
Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam) president Kezzie Msukwa also said the sport is gunning for 2007 Commonwealth Games.
Ocgam’s head of technical committee Floriano Massa said Squash Malawi will for the first time go to the next year’s Commonwealth Games, a development which Squash Malawi publicity secretary Edward Mponda described as “good news”.
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