The Malawi National Council of Sports has come up with a list of top three nominees in each of the 13 categories of the 2025 Malawi Sport Awards scheduled for February 28 at Sunbird Nkopola in the Lakeshore district of Mangochi.
Chairperson of the awards Limbani Matola said during the unveiling ceremony at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre that is it now the public’s turn to vote for their favourite nominees through a portal www.awards.malawisport.mw.
Matola, who is also the council’s marketing, planning and infrastructure development director, said the public will contribute 30 percent of the final votes while awards’ judges will have 70 percent.
“We received overwhelming number of nominations from sports associations and journalists through the Sports Writers Association of Malawi [Swam]. It is now time for the public to make their choice because the winners will be identified based on merit,” he said.
Swimmer Tasunje Mkavea has been nominated for the Junior Male Sports Personality of the Year Award alongside chess player Alipo Namangale and cricketer Suhail Zahid Vayani while the junior female section has women’s football player Eneles Fabiano, cricketer Eva Kabwere and karateka Samatha Mwamondwe.
The sportsman of the year category has darts player Rodgers Zako, cricketer Samir Muhammad Sohail and bodybuilder Zacheus Phiri whereas the sportswoman of the year division has sisters and women’s football icons Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga.
Sportsman of the year with disability accolade will be contested among special olympian Victor Chikuse and paralympic athletes Mphatso Saukile and Moses Misoya. The women’s section has special olympian Nancy Verani and paralympic athletes Taonere Banda and Estere Nagoli.
The coach of the year category has former Silver Strikers coach Peter Mponda, who is now with FCB Nyasa Bullets, Under-19 women’s cricket national team coach Gershom Mtambalika and Under-21 national netball team coach Christina Mkwanda-Nsinji.
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) president Vitumbiko Gubuduza is up for the sports administrator of the year alongside Darts Association of Malawi (DAM) president Joe Zangazanga and Karate Federation of Malawi president Joseph Kawerama.
The sports journalist of the year (print) nominees are Nation Publications Limited’s (NPL) Solomon Manda and Times Group’s Mphatso Malidadi and Peter Fote. In electronic category, the nominees are Bright Kanyama of Zodiak Broadcasting Station, Raymond Siyaya Jnr of Chanco Radio and Yasin Limu of Television Islam.
The Under-21 Malawi National Netball Team has been nominated for the National Team of the Year Award along with the Under-19 Malawi Women’s Cricket Team. Chess in schools programme, junior golf development and the Mpira M’mudzi Mwathu initiative have been billed for the Best Executed Sports Development Programme of the Year Award.
Matola said they came up with the top-three list in each category after the nominees underwent three stages, which were the nomination by associations and sports journalists, the shortlisting of nominees to ensure their meet the minimum criteria and the abdication process to ensure the best entries are selected in each category.
The award’s judges Grecian Tukula and Charles Ulaya said the nominees were carefully scrutinised and they deserve to be in the top-three spots.
