Malawi National Council of Sports board chairperson Sunduzwayo Madise says 10 150 primary and secondary schools will participate in the second edition of the Malawi Youth Games.

The number of participants is an improvement from 7 110 in the inaugural edition.

Madise said during the unveiling of this year’s edition at Sunbird Mount Soche in Blantyre on Friday that they believe that mass participation in the games is one of the best ways to promote physical exercises among pupils and enhance talent identification for various sports disciplines in the country.

Mphepo speaks during the meeting in Mangochi

He said: “This is one of the programmes that we believe will change the future of sport in Malawi. There is nothing more exciting than establishing strong foundations that will create opportunities for learners to demonstrate and develop their sporting skills.

“We need mass participation because we know this will go a long way in producing reputable athletes that will carry the Malawi flag in years to come. If we are to plan, let us plan big and into the future. Impossible is nothing; if you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

Madise, who hinted at the increase in the event’s sponsorship from K150 million, said they were happy to see that 71 percent of the country’s primary and secondary schools took part in the inaugural edition that involved 163 000 learners, but they would want to see all pupils in the games this year.

Malawi Schools Sports Association president Blackson Malamula, whose entity is the games’ implementation partner, said this year’s edition will roll out in October.

He said the previous edition identified some athletes that have been earmarked to represent the country during the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games in Lilongwe between December 2 and 11.

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