Malawi National Council of Sports says it is finalising logistics for Team Malawi to travel to Windohoek, Namibia, by a chartered flight for the 2025 African Union Sports Council (Ausc) Region 5 Games.
Sports Council board chairperson Sunduzwayo Madise said at least165 athletes are expected to represent Malawi at the biennial multi-sport event scheduled to run from July 3 to 14 in Windhoek and Swakopmund.
Sporting disciplines to be competed for will include athletics, basketball, boxing, football, judo, karate, netball, swimming, table tennis, lawn tennis and volleyball.
Madise also expressed optimism that the team will do well and improve on the previous 37-medal haul.
He said: “We have had four camps and now we are going into the final camp and we are confident of doing well.
“This is the biggest number of athletes’ representation we have had in the event and the bigger the number, the better the prospects of doing well.
“I can promise the nation that our athletes will do well.”
Commenting on the team’s travel, the council board chair said travelling by bus would have meant the team spending two to three days on the road.
He said: “And this would have affected our young athletes as they would be exhausted by the time they reach Namibia with little or no time for rest ahead of the games.
“Logistically, even travelling by commercial flights would have also posed a challenge to look after such a big enourage as it would have meant going through Johannesburg for connections.
“Besides, it is also a motivation for our athletes. Medals aside, competing at such games offers them an opportunity for exposure to develop further.”
On his part, Sports Council chief executive officer Henry Kamata said: “Our expectations are that Team Malawi will surpass the 2022 Lilongwe Region 5 Youth Games in terms of medals.
“But we have not set any specific targets as we are targeting the 2023 Commonwealth games.”
President Lazarus Chakwera gave the team a timely motivation when he met the athletes at Kamuzu Palace on Monday this week to wish them well.
He urged the athletes to have self-belief and sieze the moment by striving to bring more medals home.
The President told the athletes that victory should not be determined by their physical size, but their determination, courage and inner spirit.
“It is not the dog in the fight that determines the victory, but the fight in the dog,” he said.
