Excitement has engulfed the Capital City ahead of the annual Malawi Sport Awards slated for Bingu International Convention Centre where outstanding athletes, administrators and teams will be rewarded for their exploits in the year 2023.
Vice President Saulos Chilima is expected to grace the glamorous black-tie event this evening.
Organisers Malawi National Council of Sports expressed optimism that the ceremony will be more colourful than previous editions.
Sports Council Public Relations and Communications Officer Edgar Ntulumbwa said the awards are a crucial component of the game as they inspire the sports fraternity to aim high.
“The awards inspire our athletes, sports administrators, coaches and teams to work hard and be innovative,” Ntulumbwa said.
He said Sports Council is hoping that through the event, the corporate sector would eventually start offering more support to sport in general and the awards in particular.
“The awards will also send a message to the corporate world to come forward and start supporting sport. The awards are recognising excellence and the corporate sector would do well to give them the support they deserve,” he said.
One of the major talking points of the awards is the battle for the sportswoman of the year accolade where Paris Saint-Germain forward Tabitha Chawinga will be up against her younger sister Temwa.
The Chawinga sisters have made the top three in the category alongside draught queen Susan Kachepa.
In the national team of the year category, Malawi National Women’s Football Team will face Draught National Team and Special Olympics National Team.
Others that have been nominated in various categories include FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Coach Kalisto Pasuwa, Arjun Menon of cricket and 17-year-old chess star Priyasha Santosh Shyrian.
Nominees for the Sportsman of the Year are tae-kwon-do athlete Yamikani Guba, draughts player Enock Banda and visually-impaired runner Mphatso Saukire.
The best umpire/referee/judge category has female football referee Eneless Gumbo, boxing referee Gift Pasanja and hockey umpire Daniel Matavata.
Women’s football player Victoria Mkwala will face taekwondo athletes Tiwonge Phiri and Mphatso Dube for the junior female sportsperson of the year award while in the junior male sportsperson category, budding swimmer Luke Chimwemwe is up against the taekwondo due of Brave Kamanga and Gift Lambulira.
In the best association section, Football Association of Malawi, Hockey Association of Malawi and Association of Draughts in Malawi have made the top three while the battle for sports district of the year is between Karonga, Salima and Chitipa.
In the best media house of the year category, Times Group will be hoping to successfully defend the accolade it has made its own against other nominations of Mibawa TV and Timveni Radio.
