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| Sports |
| Athletics future in limbo, says AAM |
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by
Oris Chimenya, 09 June 2004
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19:16:04
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The Athletics Association of Malawi (AAM) has expressed concern over what it has called government’s lack of commitment in the promotion of athletics as a sport in the country.
AAM general secretary Haxson Chapasa said in an interview on Wednesday there are many regional athletics tournaments which Malawi athletes have failed to participate for various reasons.
He cited the Botswana’s junior championships as the latest competition in which Malawi failed to take part and where the organisers complained to AAM acting president George Mussa that Malawi is showing no commitment to participating in most regional events.
“Most of the tournaments which Malawi fail to participate involve the youth, who are the nursery for the sport in the country.
“If these youth are denied the chance of participating in these tournaments, then we should not expect them to do well in other world competitions,” said Chapasa, urging government to set a special trust which to look into the financial welfare of all sports associations.
Due to failure to qualify for this year’s world youth championship, Malawi will send two athletes (one male one female) on solidarity, a thing which Chapasa said bring their morale down because they do not participate.
But Sports Council’s executive secretary George Jana replied by saying that the associations themselves should be in the forefront, fund raising for their various trips.
“There is no national sports council in the world which adequately sponsors every association because that is just impossible,” he said, further blaming some associations for being instrumental in organising trips but fail to organise local competitions.
In 2001, Malawi failed to participate in the Youth Championships and 5th African Junior Championships both held in Mauritius in June.
In 2002, we also failed to take part in three regional events; Youth Championship hosted by Namibia in May, African Senior Championships held in Tunisia in October and the Half Marathon held in Mauritius in December.
And just last year, the country did not participate in the Angola-hosted Cross Country in February, the Youth Championship held in June in Lesotho and the Half Marathon that was held in Namibia in November.
The misery has also not spared this year. Before covering half of the year, we have already failed to show up for the Youth Championships and the Junior Championship both held in Mauritius and Botswana respectively and the Mozambique’s Zone Six games where our athletes returned because of an unsettled K11 (101851) million fine.
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