By Tabbu Kitta Kauye
Lilongwe, June 23, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has urged the youth participating in the incoming 11th African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Regional 5 youth Games to believe in themselves and seize the moment by striving to bring more medals home.
President Chakwera made the remarks at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe during a send-off ceremony for 165 youth athletes representing Malawi in various sporting disciplines in Windhoek Namibia.
Chakwera told the youth that their victory should not be determined by their physical size, strength and appearance but their determination, courage and inner spirit.
“It is not the dog in the fight that determines the victory but it is the fight in the dog," said Chakwera.
He also said his government will continue to support the development and promotion of all sports disciplines in the country.
“It is for this reason that my government included sports development as one of the priority areas in the Malawi 2063, under the Human Capital Development, to ensure that sports is recognised and supported like any other development sector in the country,” said Chakwera.
While noting that the performance of sporting activities has been poor for the past twenty years, the president said time has now come to address whatever factors stalled the progress of the country’s sports development.
Board Chairperson for Malawi National Sports Council Dr. Sunduzwayo Madise, commended government through the leadership of Dr. Lazarus Chakwera for the unwavering support to the sports development initiatives in the country.
Madise said in the same spirit of supporting sports development, the youth athletes are implored to be as dynamites, ready to explode on the Namibian soil and make Malawi proud.
Speaking on behalf of the athletes, Pempho Datchi pledged to compete with heart, courage and discipline in order to raise the Malawi flag high.
“We are going to represent our families, our communities and our nation. We are going as proud sons and daughters of Malawi, ready to compete,” declared Datchi.
“This year’s theme, own your moment, speaks directly to us, it reminds us that our time is now, it is our moment to rise and show Malawi what Malawian youths are made of,” he added.
The AUSC regional 5 games is a specialised technical office of the African Union, responsible for sports development and coordination across the African continent.
This year the youth games will be held in Windhoek Namibia under the theme, “own your moment”.
165 youth athletes in various sports disciplines like basketball, Judo, swimming, football, e-sports, football, volleyball and many others from Malawi are expected to attend the regional games from 4th to 13th July.
