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| Sports |
| Concentrate on other sports too—minister |
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by
Garry Chirwa, 15 July 2004
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09:24:11
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A new broom sweeping cleaner? Perhaps. Sports Minister Henry Chimunthu Banda has ordered the Malawi National Council of Sports to be submitting reports at the end of every month on plans and progress which he will in turn be incorporating in his monthly reports to President Bingu wa Mutharika.
He also advised the council to stop concentrating on football only but to look to other sporting activities as well.
The minister made the directives when he met Sports Council’s board and senior personnel in Blantyre yesterday morning.
“I have demanded monthly reports which will include their plans and progress which I will also include in my monthly reports to the President,” said the minister soon after the meeting which was held in camera.
“Football is the most popular sport in the country no doubt about that and Sports Council has to give it’s attention to the game but not at the expense of other sporting activities,” he said.
He added: “Of course I have always said in terms of the level of funding football cannot be surpassed because of the nature of the sport but we should try to accommodate the other activities as well, they should not feel as if they are neglected.”
Chimunthu Banda said he would like to see the Council doing more in the promotion of athletes from other sporting disciplines citing leading female athlete Catherine Chikwakwa as an example whom Council needs to market internally in terms of sponsorship.
The minister also advised the Council to improve on its interaction with all its 31 affiliates.
“I advised them that there should not be a wide gap between them and their affiliates. I told them that regular communication would help them establish the problems which their affiliates face and probably try to sort them out with the help of the government since they are the link between the association and the ministry,” said the minister.
Sports Council board chair Rashid Nembo described the meeting as very fruitful in a separate interview.
“It was a very good meeting, the honourable minister gave us food for thought on how we can improve on our operations especially on the communication with our affiliates, there was indeed some gap which we need to fill,” said Nembo.
The minister also met Fam executive on Wednesday afternoon.
He said he will meet all the other associations in the next few days.
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