Malawi will miss out on the Under-20 Africa Athletics Championship scheduled for April 25 to May 3 in Zambia due to the feud between Athletics Malawi (AM) and Malawi National Council of Sports.

The competition will also be used as a qualifier for the 2024 Olympic Games as well as the Junior World Athletics Championship.

In a script similar to the proverb when elephants fight it is the grass that suffers, local athletes are now suffering the consequences of the impasse, which seems to be  headed for a listless conclusion despite the intervention of the Minister of Youth and Sports Uchizi Mkandawire.

Local athletes could not be registered for the tournament due to communication breakdown between Sports Council and the dissolved athletics committee, which is still being recognised by both Africa Athletics and World Athletics.

Phiri: Our hands were tied

Dissolved AM president Godfrey Phiri said in an interview on Monday that local athletes were not registered because there has been no correspondence between them and Sports Council.

He said: “We got communication from Africa Athletics regarding the competition, but since we were ordered by Sports Council not to transact anything relating to athletics, we left it like that as our hands were tied.

“It is sad that local athletes have missed an opportunity to take part in such a big event due to the wrangle.

“The rules are clear that they [Sports Council] are not supposed to interfere in the operations of the national athletics body and, unfortunately, this is the end result.”

Phiri also claimed that despite resolving to end the wrangle at a recent meeting, Sports Council is still shunning them.

In an interview yesterday, Sports Council spokesperson Edgar Ntulumbwa confirmed receiving the invitation for the tournament, “but could not proceed with the registration of athletes in an envioroment where there was this wrangle”.

He said: “Due to the wrangle, we chose not to register so that we should first sort out our differences.”

Ntulumbwa also said the athletics committee cannot continue operating as it was dissolved.

He said: “What was lifted was the ban imposed on Mr. Godfrey Phiri and [former secretary general] Mr. Frank Chitembeya after they apologized and showed remorse.

“Otherwise, the dissolution was never reversed.”

A Mzuzu-based junior athlete John Phiri has rued the missed opportunity.

He said: “The situation is unfortunate because as you can see, it is us athletes who are suffering.

“I wish there could be a way to address the issue once and for all because we, the athletes, are the biggest losers in all this.”

Former Sports Council board member Julius Mithi said the two parties need to swallow their pride and resolve their differences for the sake of the athletes.

He said: “The way I see it, Sports Council is to blame for continuing to sideline the Athletics Malawi executive committee even after agreeing to bury their differences. “

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