Council disbands MPC

Malawi National Council of Sports yesterday disbanded the Malawi Paralympics Committee (MPC) for alleged mismanagement of the K2.1 million the committee received from the Internationl Paralympics Committee (IPC) to help in the preparations for the 2012 London Games.

Confirming the move, council executive secretary George Jana said they felt compelled to take the action considering the amount of money in question.

“We want to protect our image and there is nothing personal about it,” he said.

MPC president Juma Mkandawire described the move by Sports Council as unfortunate and retrogressive.

“Our relationship with sports council management has been rocky for some time now. It’s very disheartening to note that this decision was made without consulting our regional and district affiliates,” said Mkandawire.

He said the disbanding of the committee erodes all positive achievements accomplished over the years.

“In December last year, we won silver and bronze medals in Zambian tournament. They (Sports Council) did nothing to help us financially prepare for the events, then we even accommodated athletes at our homes using our own expenses,” he said.

MPC was established in 2011 to provide an opportunity to disabled athletes to get exposed. Since its inception, it has participated in a number of regional and international tournaments.