Lilongwe, Malawi: Athletics Association of Malawi (AAM) has come under fire for the criteria it used to select the athletics team that will represent the country at this year’s Commonwealth Games scheduled for Glasgow in Scotland.
Last Saturday, AAM reportedly conducted time trials at Kamuzu Institute for Sports in Lilongwe to select athletes that will better represent the country at the games.
But the manner in which selection was done has angered some athletes who took part in the trials who feels cheated by the way the selection process was handled.
According to the country’s online tabloid Nyasatimes the trials were just a hoax as the team for the games had already been picked.
Last Saturday, AAM reportedly conducted time trials at Kamuzu Institute for Sports in Lilongwe to select athletes that will better represent the country at the games.
But the manner in which selection was done has angered some athletes who took part in the trials who feels cheated by the way the selection process was handled.
According to the country’s online tabloid Nyasatimes the trials were just a hoax as the team for the games had already been picked.
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Among the disgruntled athletes who feels have been short changed by the athletics governing body is the country’s top female sprinter Susan Tengatenga.
Tengatenga won the 200 metres sprint at the trials but was surprisingly left out of the final squad that is due to leave the country for Scotland on Sunday.
The development has not pleased her coach Moses Kondowe who described the issue as shocking and has accused the athletics governing body of lacking fairness.
“There’s no fairness in the whole Athletics Association Committee. They said they organized time trials to determine who is to go to the Commonwealth Games.
One of our athletes did better than some of those we are told have been picked only to be told that she is not on the list of those already selected,” Kondowe explained.
He also questioned the wisdom of the local athletics governing body in holding the whole exercise when they already knew that they had picked the final team.
“If they knew that they have already picked athletes to go why did they call for time trials and yet we paid for all the expenses on transport and accommodation to Lilongwe?”He wondered.
This happened against the background of earlier assurances from the athletics officials that any athlete who was going to excel at the trials would sneak through into the team.
Kondowe also expressed concern on an incident that occurred in a 200 metres men trial where there was a false start by one athlete, Golden Gunde yet officials did not call for a restart as it is supposed to be the case.
“What is interesting is that they have picked him for the games,” he added.
Grevazio Mpani is another notable athlete who has also been left out of the squad despite excelling in most of the locally organized competitions.
Malawi athletics chief, Godfrey Phiri told the tabloid that the decision to leave out some of the athletes was done due to financial reasons.
He explained that government had asked the organization to lessen the number of athletes in the team.
He said government had offered to pay for only six athletes instead of twelve athletes the organization was planning to send.
As such, he said it was not easy to for the organization take onboard all athletes who had met the requirements.
Malawi has only won three medals at Commonwealth Games all Bronze which were all won in boxing through the years it had taken part in the event.
The first medal was won in 1970s while the two were won in the 1980s.
This year Commonwealth Games will take place from July 22 to August 4 apart from athletics Malawi has also sent a netball team and cyclists.
Tengatenga won the 200 metres sprint at the trials but was surprisingly left out of the final squad that is due to leave the country for Scotland on Sunday.
The development has not pleased her coach Moses Kondowe who described the issue as shocking and has accused the athletics governing body of lacking fairness.
“There’s no fairness in the whole Athletics Association Committee. They said they organized time trials to determine who is to go to the Commonwealth Games.
One of our athletes did better than some of those we are told have been picked only to be told that she is not on the list of those already selected,” Kondowe explained.
He also questioned the wisdom of the local athletics governing body in holding the whole exercise when they already knew that they had picked the final team.
“If they knew that they have already picked athletes to go why did they call for time trials and yet we paid for all the expenses on transport and accommodation to Lilongwe?”He wondered.
This happened against the background of earlier assurances from the athletics officials that any athlete who was going to excel at the trials would sneak through into the team.
Kondowe also expressed concern on an incident that occurred in a 200 metres men trial where there was a false start by one athlete, Golden Gunde yet officials did not call for a restart as it is supposed to be the case.
“What is interesting is that they have picked him for the games,” he added.
Grevazio Mpani is another notable athlete who has also been left out of the squad despite excelling in most of the locally organized competitions.
Malawi athletics chief, Godfrey Phiri told the tabloid that the decision to leave out some of the athletes was done due to financial reasons.
He explained that government had asked the organization to lessen the number of athletes in the team.
He said government had offered to pay for only six athletes instead of twelve athletes the organization was planning to send.
As such, he said it was not easy to for the organization take onboard all athletes who had met the requirements.
Malawi has only won three medals at Commonwealth Games all Bronze which were all won in boxing through the years it had taken part in the event.
The first medal was won in 1970s while the two were won in the 1980s.
This year Commonwealth Games will take place from July 22 to August 4 apart from athletics Malawi has also sent a netball team and cyclists.
By: Joel Chirwa
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