The first edition of the Malawi Schools swimming competition finals are set to take place at Mkopola Lodge on Saturday 24 February 2024 starting at 9: am.
The competition was initially launched in May 2023 at Chintheche in Nkhotakota, with the finals scheduled for October 2023. However, due to some challenges, they were postponed to the new date.
The competition is designed for schools located in districts along the lakeshore, including Karonga, Rumphi, Nkhatabay, Likoma, Nkhotakota, Salima and Mangochi and is targeting learners who are 15 years old and below. The finals will feature 35 young swimmers, including 5 swimmers (2 girls and 3 boys) from each of the seven districts.
The Malawi National Council of Sports has sponsored the swimming competition with MK22 million to help identify swimming talents from the lakeshore districts. Although the competition is sponsored by the Council, it is managed by the Malawi Schools Sports Association (MASSA) and is part of the Malawi youth games.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Malawi National Council of Sports, Dr Henry Kamata, and officials from the Ministry of Education will attend the event.
It is the Council’s view that the Malawi Schools Swimming competition will help identify young swimmers from the lakeshore areas who have been lacking the platform to showcase their skills. At the same time, this competition is a solution to the country’s problem of a lack of professional swimmers who can compete at an international level.