Corruption in sport has been described as one reason why many sporting codes are not improving in the country.
The sentiments were made by Malawi National Council of Sports Internal Auditor Ms. Alice Mwakanandi who was the guest of honor during the national kickboxing championship on Saturday at China complex in Zomba.
‘’ Let me remind you that cheating, bribing officials or using any other tricks to get fair results during tournaments such as these is a crime which is punishable by law. As Council we are working closely with the Anti- Corruption Bureau and other stakeholders to make sure that we eliminated corruption in sport. Sport cannot develop if athletes and officials are involved in corrupt practices’’ explained Mwakanandi
Malawi Kickboxing Association (MAKBA) General Secretary Bright Limani expressed satisfaction with the level of competition among the athletes and described the one-day championship as a success.
‘’ We are grateful for the support that Malawi National Council of Sports has given us for the national championship to be a success. The aim of organizing this championship was to identify talent and we believe that we have achieved that’’ explained Liman
During the championship Dan Disi of cobbe barracks won gold in men’s under 54 kg, Moses Banda won gold in men’s under 59 kg, Lawrence Chigago won gold in men’s under 64 kg, Thaxy Kamneni won gold in men’s under 69 kg and Yamikani Matembeka of Blantyre Youth Centre won gold in men’s over 71 kg.
The championship was also used as a selection platform for the Malawi kickboxing national team which is expected to be engaged in international tournaments soon and the following have been selected to be in the Malawi kickboxing national team; Moses Banda, Lawrence Chigago, Dan Disi, Yamikani Matembeka, Thaxy Kamneni, Yohane Edward, Bahat Takondwa and Mphatso Taulo.
In the pic: Mwakanandi making her speech (right) and part of the action during the championship.
