* Second training camp arranged through the Festive Season’s holidays ahead of the Games to be played in June 2025 in Namibia
* Comprehensive measures have been put in place to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of all athletes and officials during the camping period
Maravi Express
In order to groom young athletes to compete favourably for the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games 2024 — scheduled in Namibia in June 2025 — Malawi National Council of Sports has organised second training camp for 300 athletes.
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Initially, the Games were supposed to take place this year but they were shifted to next year and as such, they are referred to as the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games 2024.
A statement from Sports Council Chief Executive Officer, Henry Kamata indicates that the 300 athletes will be hosted at Henry Henderson School of Excellence (HHS) in Blantyre for a 10-day training camp from December 22 to January 2.
The athletes are from 14 sporting codes — table tennis, boxing, netball, lawn tennis, volleyball, basketball, karate, e-sports, judo, football, Special Olympics, swimming, athletics and Para-athletics (visually impaired).
The training sessions will take place at various facilities, including Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC), Mpira Stadium, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) and Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS).
Henry Kamata
“This is the second of the three planned camps,” Kamata said in the statement. “The first camp was held in August 2024 and the third and last camp will be held in April 2025.
“The Malawi National Council of Sports would like to further inform the public that comprehensive measures have been put in place to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of all athletes and officials during the camping period.”
The AUSC is a specialised technical office of the African Union (AU) responsible for sports, which was established through the endorsement of the Statute of AUSC by the Assembly of African Heads of States and Governments in 2016.
Its mandate is coordination of the African sports movement and being a forum for concerted action between member states for the promotion and development of sports and development through sport in Africa.
Malawi and the rest of the AUSC Region 5 strictly follow the protocols, such that winners of various categories of the annual Malawi Sport Awards are also submitted to AUSC Region 5 secretariat for scrutiny and consideration for the AUSC Region 5 Awards.
Last year’s Malawi Sport Awards Gala
Meanwhile, Malawi swimming team returned home after competing in the 2024 Africa Aquatics Zone IV Swimming Championship, held in Windhoek, Namibia from December 4-7.
The team delivered an impressive performance, bringing home three medals; one silver and two bronze with Tasunje Mkavea emerging as a standout athlete, clinching a silver medal in the 200m breaststroke for boys aged 13-14 and a bronze medal in the 200m butterfly for boys aged 11-14.
The under-14 boys’ 4x50m freestyle relay team added to the medal tally with a bronze.
On Sports Council’s official Facebook page, it is indicated that Mkavea’s silver and bronze medals “cement Mkavea’s status as a promising young talent” as he also showcased “his determination and competitive spirit in the 50m boys’ 13-14 breaststroke, where he narrowly missed a podium finish, placing 4th by just half a second”.
“Mkavea’s achievement is a testament to the potential of Malawi’s young athletes, inspiring hope for even greater success in future competitions.”
The swimming championship brought together athletes from 13 countries; the hosts Namibia; Malawi, Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Mauritius, eSwatini, Comoros, Mozambique, Zambia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Seychelles.
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