Standard Bank Be More Race postponed to a later date in respect to mourning period for departed souls of Chilima and the 8 others

* We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the State Vice-President and the eight others in the plane crash in Mzimba

* Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Head of State, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, all the bereaved families, and the entire nation

By Duncan Mlanjira

Athletics Malawi and Standard Bank Plc have announced that the Be More Race, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 15 have been postponed to a later date in respect to mourning period for departed souls of Vice-President Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Madam Shanil Muluzi and 7 others who tragically died in the plane crash on Monday.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the State Vice-President and the eight others in the plane crash in Mzimba,” said Athletics Malawi in its statement. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Head of State, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, all the bereaved families, and the entire nation. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.”

This also follows an advice from Malawi National Council of Sports to all sports associations and affiliates to suspend all sporting activities until further notice after Chakwera declared a 21-day mourning.

“May God strengthen and comfort us all as we mourn this great loss,” said the statement from Sports Council chief executive officer, Henry Kamata.

Chilima was an ardent sportsman, who played basketball for Chancellor College and when he joined the corporate world, he was part and parcel of football sponsorship of Lifebouy Super League whilst working for Unilever and the Carlsberg Cup.

In his eulogy, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president, Fleetwood Haiya, described Chilima as “a visionary and transformative leader who placed the interests of the nation above his [and] shall be remembered for his enormous contribution to sports and football in particular”.

“Among others, Dr. Chilima played a crucial role as chairman of the fundraising committee that raised funds for the first-ever FAM Cup in 2005 when the country played the whole season without a corporate sponsor.

“He was also the chairperson of the FAM competitions committee and was instrumental in securing the Standard Bank Cup sponsorship in 2007.”

Meanwhile, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who arrived in the country yesterday, was scheduled to meet Chilima as well as inspect other footballing projects in Malawi and today he visited the Vice-President’s residence at Area 12 in Lilongwe where he offered his condolences to Madam Mary Chilima and the family.

Upon his arrival the world football governing body’s chief presented a jersey No. 9 to Madam Chilima, which had been meant for her late husband.

Accompanied by Haiya, Infantino also visit the State House to meet President Lazarus Chakwera — to fulfill what he would have discussed with late Chilima.

In February, Chilima presided over the red carpet Malawi Sport Awards 2023 where he urged corporate companies to step forward and support sports by offering sponsorship and advertising opportunities — while emphasising the importance of embracing sports as a substantial business opportunity for Malawi.

He added that sports is a big business and can be used to generate financial resources for the sports sector as well as the country’s economy through talent export.

He affirmed Malawi government’s commitment to investing in sports development and nurturing young talent to ensure their competitiveness on international platforms.

Chilima announcing the overall winner

“Sports represents a nation’s culture, talent and pride,” he said. It is essential to invest in its advancement to achieve and surpass our goals.

“Every country is known for its culture, talent, and skills. Sports is a main source of pride hence nations are investing a lot to achieve and surpass their goals.”

Chilima applauded Sports Council for organising the event since 2017 and pledged to woo more support for the awards next year — unfortunately he has departed from this world.

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