Region 5 most active but fails
to win at big meets
By Mabvuto Kambuwe:
Minister of Labour, Sports, Youth and Manpower Development, Grace Chiumia, has asked African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region Five member countries to do careful soul-searching to identify underlying factors for their poor performance in international competitions and come up with tangible solutions to improve athletes’ performance.
Chiumia made the remarks during the opening of AUSC’s Executive Committee Meeting at Sunbird Capital in Lilongwe Thursday.
“I am reliably informed that our region is the most active of all the regions in Africa and I am proud of that.
“However, our activeness is not reflected in the performance of our athletes and teams at continental and international levels,” Chiumia said.
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Chiumia said Malawi was playing her role in boosting athletes’ performance by constructing sports facilities in all the 28 districts of the country using Local Development Fund.
“The Government of Malawi is really striving to promote sports among its citizens. To achieve this, the government planned to develop infrastructure, a comprehensive Sports Development Programme focusing on grassroots and continuously work with AUSC secretariat and fellow member countries.
“The government also believes that promotion of sports in schools will ensure establishment of a solid base for talent identification and development, which will see sustainable improvement in the performance of our athletes and teams,” she said.
Chiumia said Malawi was also working hard to prepare well for a successful hosting of the 2022 Region Five Games.
AUSC Chairperson, Vetumbuavi Veii, urged member countries to invest more in activities. “I also challenge Malawi to get ready to host the 2022 Region 5 Youth Games,” he said.
The meeting has attracted delegates from 10 countries namely Angola, South Africa, eSwatini, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia and hosts Malawi.
Malawi will host the regional competition in the next three years for the first time. Botswana was last year’s host country.
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