Local athletes and associations are ignoring the use of Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Kuhes) Sports Complex High Performance Centre (HPC) to improve their performances in quest of podium finish at major events, The Sunday Times Sport can reveal.
Kuhes High Performance Centre is one of the seven High Performance Centres in Africa and it was certified in 2013 by the Association of Sports Performance Centre (ASPC) whose headquarters is in Barcelona, Spain.
However, since its accreditation, local athletes, teams and associations hardly use the facility.
Kuhes Sports Complex General Manager George Chitunga blamed the setback on ignorance saying that if the nation knew the importance of HPC then they would have been flooded with offers.
“The role of HPC is to carry out activity focused on elite sport, to provide operational, technical and scientific support services to high performance athletes and coaches,” he said.
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Chitunga said if local associations were utilizing Kuhes Sports Complex as an institution for High Performance Centre then Malawi could have broken the jinx.
“Locally associations and clubs have not been utilizing our HPC device with the exception of FCB Nyasa Big Bullets. It is high time that the associations, clubs and athletes take advantage of the existence of one of the 96 HPC’s in the world to enhance athletes’ performance.
“The other advantage is that the Sports Complex has got professional doctors in all the areas such as anatomy, psychology, physiology and nutrition to support in development,” he said.
Malawi National Council of Sports Public Relations and Communications Officer Edgar Ntulumbwa said that they are equally surprised that associations do not use the facility.
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“We always encourage sports associations to utilise the infrastructures for better performances but we cannot force them. It is up to them,” he said.
However, former Flames and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers defender Ojukwu Malunga said a number of factors ranging from ignorance to funding could be the reasons affecting the development.
“Sports has evolved but not everyone is aware of the institution and its facilities. Time is ripe that they should sensitise the sporting fraternity on its importance. Another reason could be a lack of funds,” he said.
