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Why feel sorry?
Officials in the Malawi Boxing Association (Maba) would want the rest of the nation to sympathise with them following the failure by our boxers to arrive in time for a weigh-in exercise and therefore be eligible to participate in this year’s All Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria.
I, for, one will not. At best I will be indifferent but I am more inclined to laugh at them. In fact, I would even condemn them for wasting our hard-earned resources and ask them to pay back.
It was clear even before the Malawian delegation left that our boxers would miss the weigh-exercise. That was why Maba general secretary Henry Sakala was quoted in last Friday’s issue of The Nation as saying that his association would be asking for an extension of the exercise to accommodate our boxers.
Monday’s edition of the paper actually reported that the boxing contingent had contemplated pulling out after realising that they would not make it for the exercise. And, we are told, they decided to proceed after “consultations with Ocgam and other stakeholders.”
What the so-called consultations were about I don’t know but what is clear is that the result was a misguided decision that has ended in money being wasted for nothing. I would be lying if I said I am surprised because funny and ridiculous decisions are fast becoming the ubiquitous hallmark of public life in Malawi.
Who assured our boxing team that it was fine for them to go anyway? What does he or she say now? I bet it will be business as usual henceforth.
Ocgam general secretary James Gwaza is more worried about the failure to participate because he feels we were going to qualify for the Olympics after winning medals in Abuja. I honestly did not know there are people in our sports administration who expect to win medals at such events. What became of participation for solidarity? New blood eti?
My point is that we should be more worried about the costly decisions we made, because, with due respect, medals were realistically not within grasp. Who funded these people, by the way? It would be a good idea to make friends with them because it seems ali nazo zomwaza.
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