At least 100 athletes are undergoing Podium Performance Programme for 18 months at College of Medicine (CoM) Sports Complex High Performance Centre (HPC) in Blantyre in preparation for next year’s Under-20 Africa Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region Five Games in Angola.
Trainer and HPC director Augustine Banda Jnr., whose organisation has been contracted by the Malawi National Sports of Council (MNSC) for the programme, said this on Saturday at the start of the trials that saw under-17 athletes competing in lawn tennis, judo, boxing and athletics.
“The Council wants the best results at the international games through these athletes. Therefore, to be well assured of such results, they will undergo intensive training and competitions for at least 18 months leading to the Regional Five Games,” he said.
According to Banda, apart from engaging the athletes in trial competitions, they will also help them in other aspects such as nutrition, conditioning, psychology and functional training.
Complex sports officer Cuthrew Chimimba said they hope to select a final squad of 30 athletes at the end of the trials; two females and the same number of males in each of the sporting codes, except in judo, which will have six individuals.
The programme is part of the AUSC’s campaign designed to offer block cohesion preparations to help its affiliates win medals at the 2016 Olympic Games and other major global sports competitions.
The AUSC has Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zambia as its affiliates.
