Athletics body plans parallel elective assembly

The embattled Athletics Association of Malawi’s (AAM) executive committee has set dates for its elective general assembly despite the Malawi National Council of Sports appointing an interim committee for the same purpose.

Sports Council dissolved the AAM executive committee four months ago and replaced it with an interim committee chaired by Justice of Appeal Sylvester Kalembera to organise and oversee the long-awaited polls, citing the committee’s failure to finalise amendments to the association’s constitution and hold elections.

However, AAM general secretary Frank Chitembeya yesterday issued the association’s calendar of events that indicates the polls will take place in Mzuzu on February 26.

He said: “We are going on with the elections as indicated in our 2023 calendar of events as we have been given a go-ahead by World Athletics.”

On whether they were defying Sports Council, Chitembeya said: “We are not trying to fight against anybody, but putting things right.

“As an association, we report to the world athletics body on our operations and they give us mandate on how to run our affairs. Government interference will not help us to move forward, instead it will put Malawi at risk of a ban on international athletics activities.”

Chitembeya argued that if the council’s dissolution of the AAM executive committee was effective, then the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) could not have officially invited him and the association’s president Godfrey Phiri to attend the CAA Southern Region Elective Congress in South Africa between January 20 and 22.

“If we are not a legitimate AAM executive committee, then why is the CAA contacting and connecting with us and not the council as regards to international athletics activities? Let’s avoid wasting government resources and refrain from things that cannot move the nation forward,” he said.

Sports Council board chairperson Sunduzwayo Madise yesterday described the AAM executive’s election plan as a big joke.

“I think this joke is now going too far. We will issue a statement on our stand,” he said.