Taekwondo athlete Stanislaus Phiri has missed an opportunity of making a historic appearance at the ongoing World Taekwondo Championship in Mexico due to lack of financial support.

He became the first Malawian to qualify for the global showpiece after winning gold during the 2022 Korean Ambassador Cup  in September  in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Phiri (L) in action during an event in South Africa

The participation at the most prestigious competition for the martial arts sport, could have provided the Malawi Sports Awards’ Sportsman of the Year nominee a chance of qualifying for the next Olympic Games.

However, the athlete and the Taekwondo Association of Malawi failed to source the required K6 million to process visa, buy airtickets and accommodation for him and national coach Typen Kamanga in Mexico.

According to the athlete, the world taekwondo governing body assured that the money would be refunded after the week-long competition, which is in its fourth day, but they could still not find the money.

“As I am talking to you, I am watching the world championship live on television and I cannot believe that I have missed this great opportunity. This is the most painful moment since I started engaging in this sport,” Phiri said.

In spite of the disappointment, he has appealed to well-wishers to  support him ahead of the next world championship in Azerbaijan in May 2023, which will come a few months after the on-going championship to compensate for the recent inactivity due to Covid-19.

TAM president Tichitenji Nkhwazi yesterday said their efforts to source the money failed to bear fruits.

“We tried our best to find the money but to no avail. We also asked the athlete to find sponsors but he has failed,” he said.

When asked if they approached the government through the Malawi National Council of Sports, Nkhwazi said they did.

“We approached the council but they said we had to sort out first the previous issue regarding finances. With the little time we had, it was difficult to make things possible,” he said.

Sports Council spokesperson Edgar Ntulumbwa yesterday asked for more time to comment on the matter.

Within this year, Phiri has won four gold medals in three international competitions. He won two gold at the Korean Ambassadors Cup in South Africa and a further two  gold at the 2nd Generation Swazi Tigers Taekwondo Championship in e-Swatini.

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