Malawi athletes to participate in Rio Olympics qualifier in Durban
Malawi Olympic Committee has offered a new lease of life to athletes in a bid to qualify for Rio Olympic Games to be held in Brazil this August.
MOC has sponsored four athletes Mercy Malembo (5,000 m), Benedicto Makumba (5,000 m), Happy Ndacha Mcherenje (10,000 m), Khumbo Makwakwa (100 m) to participate at Africa Athletics Championship in Durban, South Africa scheduled for June 22-26.
The athletes camped in Lilongwe on Tuesday at newly constructed MOC hostels by Japan under coach John Mwathiwa.
MOC Administration Manager Naomie Chinatu said the organisation forked out K3 million for air tickets and upkeep allowance to help out Athletics Association of Malawi send the athletes to the Olympic qualifier.
“It’s not the mandate of MOC to sponsor associations’ preparations for their athletes. But we have decided to assist since AAM doesn’t not have money to give a chance to athletes to qualify,” Chinatu said.
She is optimistic about the initiative would enable some of the athletes to qualify for Rio Games, the 32nd Olympiad.
“We are hopeful that at least one or two of these athletes would qualify,” she said.
Coach Mwathiwa commended MOC for offering the athletes a chance to compete with top athletes.
“We are going as Malawi ambassadors. We will do our best so that at least one athlete should do well,” Mwathiwa said.
Malawians let as make sports a real career thus ample academic and sporting practices can yield us to attain global recognition as that of Kenya . I recommend introduction of the same in secondary schools.