Malawi to benefit from IOC K41.2bn funding

 Malawi is among the countries that will benefit from $40 million (about K41.2 billion) Olympic Solidarity 2021-2024 Funding through the Olympic Scholarships for AthletesParis 2024 and team grant support provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC) director of administration and programmes Naomi Chinatu said in an interview that IOC has given scholarships to seven local athletes.

She said the athletes are Harriet Bonface (judo), Mike Abel (Archery), Asimenye Simwaka, Sunganani Namakonje and Stern Lifa (athletics) Jessica Makwenda and Fillipe Gomez (swimming).

Chinatu said the athletes are expected to get $1 800 (about K1.85 million) each, on a monthly basis while the Malawi women’s national football team, the Scorchers, have qualified for a team support grant.

She said the team support grant was open to all sports disciplines and the Scorchers made it after an IOC methodical scrutiny.

Said Chinatu: “It’s not automatic that every affiliate will benefit. The IOC solidarity funds have to be earned by national associations through formulation of good viable strategic plans.

“All Olympic sport associations need to apply to access the funds through provision of viable plans or programmes detailing what they want to achieve within a certain period in line with IOC needs.

“We have maintained the women’s national football team for team support grant on that basis.”

She financial prudence or accountability is, among others, another determining factor.

In the previous Olympic campaign, they also benefitted, but the team failed to make it to the Tokyo Olympics after being eliminated by Kenya in the qualifiers.

“As for Olympic Paris 2024 scholarships programme, we applied for five sporting disciplines and we have been given slots in 4 sporting disciplines based on athletes’ performance,” said Chinatu.

However, she could not disclose how much Malawi will benefit from both individual scholarships and team grant support and referred Weekend Nation to MOC president Jappie Mhango.

On his part, Mhango said the figures will be divulged during a press conference.

“I am.scheduled to hold a press briefing this week and will provide all the information you have asked,” he said.

But according to IOC website https://olympics.ie/applications-for-paris-2024-olympic-solidarity-scholarships-open/ National Olympic Committees (NOCs) standard individual scholarship budget is $1 500 per month (about K1.55 million) per scholarship holder.

Reads the information in part: “The payment option is either to NOC or the scholarship holder depending on the arrangements.

“In case of training centre option, Olympic Solidarity pays directly to the centre.

“Olympic Solidarity will negotiate a fixed monthly rate with the training centres with which it has an agreement, and will make all payments for the athletes in the centre directly. In addition, Olympic Solidarity will reimburse a return air ticket in economy class for the scholarship holder to  travel to and from the centre,”

According to IOC, the objectives of the Olympic Scholarship is, among others, to assist elite athletes selected and proposed by their respective National Olympic Committees in their preparation and qualification for the Games of the Olympiad, Paris 2024, with a particular focus on athletes and NOCs with the greatest needs.

The programme offers individual scholarships or tailor-made programmes depending on the Olympic Games profile of the NOC.

Olympic Solidarity’s decision as to whether athletes will train in their home country or abroad in a high-level training centre will be exclusively focused upon the needs of the athlete and the requirements of his/her sport.

Football Association of Malawi president Walter Nyamilandu Manda said the Scorchers deserved consideration owing to their “excellent performance in the Cosafa Cup and Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers”.

He said: “The Scorchers have the potential to qualify for the Olympics if well supported. The need to support the Scorchers is also greater because they have no sponsor and they don’t benefit from government funding.”

Judo Association of Malawi general secretary Ousborne Banda said they are excited to have one of their athletes Boniface a beneficiary.

He said: “This is a big opportunity for her and the sport as a whole. As an association, we will also do whatever we can to support her. “We are also appealing for additional support from the corporate world so that she can participate in competitions and accumulate necessary points to enable her qualify for the event.”