The Malawi delegation to this year’s African Union Sports Council Region 5 Regional Annual Sports Awards (Rasa) leaves the country for Lusaka, Zambia, Friday.
The awards are scheduled for Mulungushi International Conference Centre in the Zambian capital Saturday.
Malawi has been nominated in Junior Male Sportsperson of the Year, Junior Female Sportsperson of the Year, Coach of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability, Team of the Year and Sports Journalist of the Year categories.
The delegation has Malawi Women’s National Football Team Coach Lovemore Fazili, Football Association of Malawi Executive Member Bernad Harawa, Times Group Sports Editor Mphatso Malidadi, Mary Waya from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and delegation leader Suzan Mbejere of the Malawi National Council of Sports.
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Fazili is a nominee in the Coach of the Year category while Malidadi made the final three in the Sports Journalist of the Year category.
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Harawa will represent the Scorchers, who were nominated in the Team of the Year section.
Malawi’s Junior Sports Person of the Year category nominee swimmer Luka Smit will not be in Lusaka as he is currently undergoing training in the Seychelles.
Also missing out on the trip are Hanna Winesi, nominated in the Sportswoman of the Year with Disability category, and footballer Victoria Mkwala, who was nominated in the Junior Female Sportsperson of the Year section.
According to Sports Council’s website, the two have been excused so that they concentrate on sitting Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education examinations.
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Part of a report on the website reads: “This is a momentous occasion for Malawi, as it marks the first time the country has been nominated in an impressive six categories at the prestigious Rasa awards.”
Malawi is returning to the event after contributing one finalist each in the National Team of the Year, Junior Male Sportsperson and Journalist of the Year categories last year.
The nation will be hoping to follow up on Moneyi Chingaipe’s success in the 2019 awards, where she scooped the best female sportsperson of the year accolade at an event in Windhoek, Namibia.
Region 5 introduced the awards in 2016 with the aim of encouraging and coordinating the development of all sports disciplines.
The awards also serve as a platform for celebrating outstanding achievements and motivating member states, teams and individuals to strive for greatness.
The nominees are selected from winners of national awards in each member country. The regional awards, which took place in eSwatini last year, are held on a rotational basis among member countries.
