Africa-Press – Malawi. Athletics Malawi has stepped up preparations for its national track and field competition scheduled for Kamuzu Academy in Kasungu District on June 21.
The association’s Technical Director Dennis Phiri said the contest will help them to identify athletes who will represent the country in upcoming international competitions.
Phiri said they also want to scout for raw talent that they can groom for future events.
“So we have arranged regional qualifiers so that the regions give us the best they have on offer. These qualifiers are taking place on Saturday [today],” he said.
He said Southern Region athletes will compete at Chilunga in Zomba, while Kamuzu Institute for Sports will host athletes based in the Central Region with Northern Region qualifiers will be at Thumbi in Rumphi District.
“We need athletes to represent us at a senior championship event in Zimbabwe next month. We also have the Region 5 competition which will take place in Namibia and this is an opportunity for athletes who have been camping for this competition to come and prove that they are ready to represent Malawi.
“There will also be World Athletics Championships in Japan in September. We will also need athletes for competitions that will take place next year, such as the 2026 Commonwealth Games and Youth Olympics. So we do not want to be taken by surprise when the time comes for us to start preparing for these competitions,” Phiri said.
Southern Region Athletics Committee General Secretary George Luhanga said they were set for the qualifiers.
“We are expecting between 1,000 and 1,500 athletes from across Southern and Eastern Region districts who will compete in 100 metres [m], 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 5,000m. We will also have a discus, shot put and long jump,” Luhanga said.
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