Sports medicine course on the cards
The High Performance Centre (HPC) of the College of Medicine Sports Complex has announced an ambitious programme aimed at helping Malawi produce elite athletes capable of putting the country on the map.
Engaging in research and introducing sports medicine will top the facility’s agenda for next season, the complex’s general manager Augustine Banda Junior said on Friday after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Old Mutual Malawi Limited chief executive officer Chris Kapanga whose company has pumped in K20 million (about $40 000) into the project.
“We have engaged the University of Pretoria in research. We will also engage the College of Medicine (CoM) physiotherapists to help our teams. In 2015, we also hope to introduce sports medicine. We are looking at how we can assist the nation. This initiative is beyond the teams we host. As a country, we have a long way to go before we can achieve success,” said Banda.
The complex is the official sponsor of the rugby development team, netbal side Tigresses and Simba hockey side whose stand-out athletes were recognised through trophies during the event. HPC enhance athletes’ performance through systematic development over a period of time. Currently, Malawi sends athletes to HPCs of Kenya and South Africa.
Taking his turn, Kapanga said the world over, HPC are the surest ways to achieving sports excellence, hence the need for support. He noted that apart from the netball team, the rest of the disciplines have underachieved in 50 years of Malawi’s independence.
“Every time after a poor result in sports, we say we have learnt a lesson…that has been the story in the last 50 years. This might be the longest lesson that has been learnt,” said Kapanga.
