Amateur boxers miss Olympic qualifiers
Malawi Boxing Association (Maba) has failed to source funding for five amateur boxers’ participation in Olympic Games qualifying games underway in Cameroon.
Maba technical committee had selected the boxers, including Israel Kam’mwamba (56kgs), Abdul Chitepete (62kgs), George Kandulo (48kgs), Ellen Simwaka (62kgs) and Charles Mchombo, for the qualifiers.
Interestingly, Maba had limited its squad selection to passport holders, saying there was no time and resources to help other fighters process their travel documents.
A member of Maba’s technical committee, Andy Muyaya, said they were advised that they will not travel to Cameroon at the eleventh hour. The boxers were supposed to leave on Thursday.
“We were ready for the qualifiers. Some of the boxers were training in Lilongwe and others in Blantyre. Some from Lilongwe also came to Blantyre for sparring,” he said.
“Some of them wept in disbelief. We had to console them and told them that there was another chance.”
One of the boxers [name withheld] said if the situation continues, they will dump amateur boxing.
“This is the situation that is forcing amateur boxers to turn professional. We don’t get anything from amateur boxing. We sacrifice personal resources, but they don’t treat us well. This was our chance to fight and showcase our skills. The only solace we get from amateur boxing is when we fight outside the country,” he said.
Maba vice-president, Pyson Likagwa, said all was not lost for amateur boxers as they might take part in other qualifying games in other zones within Africa.
“We got an invitation on February 16 and to source funding from that time, it was not easy. Besides that, our selection was limited to boxers with passports. However, we assure our boxers that they will take part in Olympic Games qualifiers in another zone,” he said.
A vibrant writer who gives a great insight on hot topics and issues
