Special Olympics Malawi (Som) athletes breathed a sigh of relief when the Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) provided K32.5 million to enable Malawi to compete in the Berlin Special Olympics World Games in Germany.
Last month, our sister paper, The Sunday Times, revealed that Malawi’s participation at the Games was in doubt as Som was struggling to secure funding from the MNCS.
However, in a press statement yesterday, council disclosed that it had released funding amounting to K32.5 million to enable Malawi to take part in the Games.
“The Special Olympics Malawi team has travelled to Berlin, Germany for the Special Olympics Berlin 2023. The Malawi National Council of Sports has provided MK32.5 million to Special Olympics Malawi. The money is part of the resources that Special Olympics Malawi requires for their participation at the Games,” the statement signed by council’s public relations and communications manager Edgar Ntulumbwa reads.
The Games started on Saturday, June 17, and will end on Sunday.
Ntulumbwa said the funding is in line with the council’s mandate of promoting and developing each and every sporting code in the country.
Som National Director Enid Mauluka said the support is timely.
“Yes I can confirm that we received about K32.5 million towards the purchase of air tickets, which were pegged at K60 million. For us, what is important is that the athletes should attend the Games. We didn’t have the whole amount,” she said.
Mauluka said the Games are crucial as Som uses the sport to promote the lives of persons with intellectual disabilities.
