Government is prioritising football in sports infrastructure development at the expense of other disciplines, a trend that is stifling the growth of other sports codes, particularly at the district level. Nation on Sundayhas established that over 15 football stadiums constructed by the government through district councils do not include courts for other sports disciplines such as netball, basketball, tennis, volleyball,and athletics. Some associations have since expressed disappointment with government’s football-centric focus, noting that the initiative to build a stadium in every district could have incorporated facilities for other sports codes.
In an interview, Basketball Association of Malawi general secretary (GS) Peter Gomani described the situation as “unfortunate”, stating: “It is a mistake to think sports begins and ends with football. We must provide our youth with choices. A core pillar of safe and inclusive sports is the availability of facilities for all codes and it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that accessibility.” On her part, Netball Association of Malawi GS Yamikani Kauma urged government to adopt an inclusive approach in its infrastructure plans for both urban and rural areas.
She noted that netball remains the country’s top sport in terms of international prestige. “We hope government will include netball and all other sports codes in its plans. As an association, we remain committed to constructive engagement and collaboration with government to advance sports development for the benefit of our athletes and the nation,” said Kauma.
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Lawn Tennis Association of Malawi technical director Owen Mfune said taking the sport to the rural areas is a challenge due to a severe lack of facilities. sport at the district level because tennis requires specific infrastructure. It would have been viable for district councils to include tennis courts in new stadium projects, but their focus remains almost exclusively on football,” he said.
Sports commentator Lawrence Namasala urged government to take a more inclusive, multi-purpose approach in the sports infrastructure provision to foster talent development beyond football. “The stadiums being built should have facilities for other sports codes. Some of the benefits of such an inclusive approach are higher participation rates leading to talent discovery from all disciplines,” he said.
Former Malawi Olympic Committee vice-GS Frank Chitembeya pointed out that countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Uganda have leveraged diverse sports to boost their economies. “Malawi needs a mindset shift. We must build infrastructure that fosters the development of all sporting disciplines,” he urged. Malawi National Council of Sports acting chief executive officer Ivy Chinangwa stated that insufficient collaboration between district councils and the Sports Council prior to project commencement resulted in infrastructure shortfalls.
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