By Milcah Mathias

Blantyre, January 14, Mana: As one way of giving back to the community, basketball coach Wiza Msowoya is building a new basketball team by training 100 elite athletes at Zingwangwa Youth Centre in Blantyre free of charge.

Msowoya said in an interview with the Malawi News Agency on Tuesday that the initiative was aimed at sharing what he has learned from his 10 years of experience in basketball.

The coach said he envisions having elite athletes who are well trained to contribute positively to the development of Malawi through sporting activities.

He mentioned that so far he has recruited eight individuals to be trained and was still recruiting by encouraging the athletes to bring their colleagues as they come for the next sessions.

"We will also reach a point whereby we will share the idea with the local leaders so that whenever they have gatherings, they should pass on the information to the communities," said Msowoya.

Msowoya, who also works for the Malawi National Council of Sports as a Sports Development Officer, urged all coaches who have the ability to train young athletes to use a holistic approach to provide formal training and vocational skills for a sporting career.

Speaking in a separate interview, Basketball Association of Malawi (BASMAL) Secretary General Peter Gomani commended Msowoya for the initiative.

He said the association is also creating a conducive environment for all people to participate in basketball, adding that their goal is to build as many basketball courts as possible across the country to ensure that Malawians have access to watch and play basketball.

"We are partnering with individuals and organizations to support youth and women's basketball development, and we are collaborating with stakeholders who will provide technical development to our officials, as well as investing in infrastructure and equipment," said Gomani.

So far, Msowoya has trained over 1,000 elite athletes in Norway and Sweden, and also over 400 athletes in Mzuzu in the northern region and Lilongwe in the central region.