By Leonard Masauli

Lilongwe, February 16, Mana: Vice President, Dr Saulos Chilima, has emphasized the importance of embracing sports as a substantial business opportunity for Malawi.

He was speaking during the Malawi Sports Awards at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe on Friday evening.

He said 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.

The Vice President urged companies to step forward and support sports by offering sponsorship and advertising opportunities, envisioning the awards ceremony as a flagship event in Africa.

"I am delighted to be part of this event and hopeful to witness its growth as it gets better," Chilima said.

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

"Sports represents a nation's culture, talent and pride. 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,” he said.

Chilima, therefore, commended the Malawi National Council of Sports for organizing the event and pledged to woo more support for the awards next year.

Minister of Sports, Uchizi Mkandawire, commended Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) for managing the awards in a professional manner for five consecutive years.

MNCS Chairperson, Dr Sunduzwayo Madise, said the awards, which date back to 2017, was established to help in advancement of sports in the country.

Madise acknowledged huge support from the Vice President in sports matters and extended an appeal to more Malawians to support and promote sports in the country.

Notable winners for the awards include Temwa Chawinga who emerged double winner in Sports Woman of the year and the overall category of sports personality of the year award.

Nyasa Big Bullets Coach, Kalisto Pasuwa, won the non-citizen of the year award for his tremendous contribution in football while Lovemore Fazili won the sports coach of the year for his contribution at Cosafa and winning the cup for the Malawi women football team.