Gabadinho Mhango, Tabitha Chawinga in Malawi Sport Awards race

Mphatso Malidadi February 6, 2020

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Malawi national football team striker, Gabadinho Mhango, and China-based Malawi national women’s football team captain Tabitha Chawinga, are among the personalities that have been nominated for the 2019 Malawi Sport Awards.

Malawi National Council of Sports released the list of nominees yesterday ahead of the event slated for Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe on February 14.

Gabadinho, who plays for South African Premier Soccer League giants Orlando Pirates, has been nominated alongside Stern Lifa of athletics and tae-kwon-do’s Yamikani Guba in the Sportsman of the Year category.

Tabitha, who plays for Jiangsu Suning in the Chinese Women’s Super League, has been nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year accolade alongside athletics star Doris Fisher and netballer Takondwa Lwazi.

In the sports administrator of the year category, Malawi Paralympics Committee’s (MPC) James Chiutsi has been joined by Susan Namangale of Chess Association of Malawi and Association of Draughts in Malawi’s (Adma) Suzgo Nkhoma.

The country’s draughts, ladies cricket and netball will contest for the national sport team of the year.

In the media category, Times Group has yet again been nominated alongside Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS). Times won the 2018 edition of the award.

Sports Council Acting Executive Secretary, Henry Mereka, said the list was compiled after being scrutinised by committees comprising competent sports stakeholders.

“This has been a tough exercise and we are happy that at last we are getting there. We have no doubt that what the committees have done is a true reflection of nominees according to their performance,” he said.

The full list of nominees and categories is as follows:

Junior Female Sportsperson (Up to age 17): Atupele Bello, Lyness Kanyika, Mirriam Kachingwe

Junior Male Sportsperson (Up to age 17): Atupele Nsomba, George Chimphonda, Quincy Mukhwapa

Sports Administrator: Chiutsi, Namangale, Nkhoma

Non-Citizen: Davis Mumwesi, Vivek Ganesan, Sharon Melrose

National team: Draughts, ladies cricket, netball

Sportswoman of the Year:Fisher, Tabitha, Lwazi

Sportsman of the Year: Gabadhino, Lifa, Guba

Sportswoman with disability: Clara Phiri (Special Olympics), Taonere Banda (Paralympics).

Sportsman with Disability: Christopher Namakha (Special Olympics), Davison Junior Douglas (Special Olympics), Samuel Mbukwa (Special Olympics)

Best-executed sports development program: Chess in Schools, First Capital Bank U-20 football league, The Cricket Academy

Sports district of the Year: Lilongwe, Mzimba, Phalombe