Malawi Paralympic Committee (MPC) has expressed concern over lack of sponsorship for competitions involving athletes with disabilities.
MPC President James Chiutsi registered the concern on Wednesday during this year’s Paralympic Sports Day activities at Police College in Zomba.
The activities were organised with support from Britain’s Loughborough University in partnership with the University of Malawi (Unima) and Korean Company K2 Transformers.
Chiutsi said they want inclusivity and financial support for athletes so that they compete well at international level.
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“We have four athletes who qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and they need support from various quarters if they are to perform well. We feel they are being neglected and sidelined because, as we speak, they do not even have the right shoes for training,” he said.
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Chiutsi said Malawi’s Paralympic athletes have been winning many medals at international level but they have never been honoured or recognised in any way.
Unima’s Professor Mufunanji Magalasi, who is a managing partner for Loughborough University, echoed MPC’s concerns on the matter.
“MPC needs support from the government and the private sector. We have capable non-governmental organisations and the banking sector that can bail out these athletes and give them the support they require to continue performing at all levels.
“We also need sponsorship for various competitions involving our athletes with disabilities. It is not fair for our athletes to compete without anything to motivate them. We want to see sport for people with disabilities being supported all over the country,” Magalasi said.
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The event saw athletes competing in powerlifting, netball, sack race and chess, among others.
Zomba City Mayor Christopher Jana graced the day-long competition as guest of honour and pledged support for MPC.
“As a city, we will honour some of the athletes who have qualified for the Paralympics by placing their faces on billboards along our roads. We will also allocate to the Zomba Paralympic Committee an office at Gymkhana Stadium and also secure land for Paralympic athletes to be using for training,” Jana said.
The athletes who qualified for the global showpiece and are currently in camp under coach Agnes Chikwakwa are Esther Nagoli, Moses Misoya, Mphatso Saukire and Tawonere Banda.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are set to run from August 28 to September 8 with around 4,400 athletes competing in 22 sports disciplines.
Team Malawi is expected to depart for the competition on August 21.
