After a rigorous choice course of that started in November final 12 months, the ultimate nominees for the annual Malawi Sport Awards have been formally introduced on Monday permitting the general public to vote for the winners who’ve made their mark within the sports activities area in 2024.
The digital voting portal, awards.malawisport.mw, has been opened from immediately till February 25, permitting the general public to forged their votes, which carry a 30% weight, whereas the remaining 70% will likely be decided by the ultimate panel of judges. The winners will likely be unveiled at a gala evening on February 28 at Sunbird Nkopola in Mangochi.
Notably, the Chawinga sisters, Tabitha and Temwa, are the one remaining nominees for the Sports Woman of the Year class. Meanwhile, the National Team of the Year award is being contested by the Under-21 netball staff and the Under-19 ladies’s cricket staff.
Paralympian Mphatso Saukile, final 12 months’s winner, has been nominated once more for Sportsman of the Year with Disability alongside Moses Misoya and Victor Chikuse in Special Olympics.
The nominees for Sportswoman of the Year with Disability embrace Estere Nagoli (Para-athlete), Nancy Verani (Special Olympics), and Taonere Banda (Para-athlete).
For Sportsman of the Year, the nominees are Rodgers Zako (darts), Samil Mohammad Sohail (cricket), and bodybuilder Zacheus Phiri.
Nominees for Junior Male Sportsperson of the Year are Alipo Namangale (chess), Suhail Zahid Vayani (cricket), and Tasunje Mkavea (swimming), whereas the feminine nominees are Eneless Fabiano (soccer), Eva Kabwere (cricket), and Samatha Mwamondwe (karate).
For mentoring Silver Strikers to their TNM Super League triumph, Peter Mponda has been nominated for Coach of the Year alongside cricket’s Gershom Masimba Mtambalika and netball’s Christina Mkwanda.
For Sports Association of the Year, followers can vote for chess, cricket, or netball. Chess has additionally been nominated within the Best Executed Sport Development Program of the Year class for its Chess in Schools initiative, competing in opposition to junior golf and Mpira m’mudzi Mwathu.
The Sports Administrator of the Year nominees are Joseph Kawelama (karate), Joe Zangazanga (darts), and Vitumbiko Gubuduza (netball).
The contributions of media practitioners in the direction of sports activities protection are additionally acknowledged. The nominees for Sports Journalist of the Year (Print) are Mphatso Malidadi and Peter Fote (each of Times Group) and Solomon Manda (Nation Publications Limited).
For Sports Journalist of the Year (Electronic), the nominees are Bright Kanyama (Zodiak), Raymond Siyaya (Chanco Community Radio), and Yasin Limu (TV Islam).
The choice course of started with sports activities associations nominating candidates they believed had excelled and achieved worldwide recognition.
A panel comprising members of the Sports Writers Association then analyzed the nominations and chosen the perfect candidates, which have been subsequently reviewed by an adjudication committee that finalized the three nominees in every class for public voting.
A member of the adjudication committee, Charles Ulaya, famous that whereas the method was difficult, it was insightful in evaluating how some sports activities associations current their nominees.
He highlighted that some associations merely forwarded names based mostly on participation in worldwide tournaments, even when no medals have been received.
“Sports associations need to distinguish that attending an international tournament is not an achievement on its own—you need to come back with a medal,” Ulaya stated. “Malawi should not just be a participating country; we need to compete for honors at every tournament.”
He additionally acknowledged that a number of associations supplied exemplary displays of their nominees and inspired directors to keep up correct data of athletes’ performances for simpler reference in future nominations.
Meanwhile, the Malawi National Council of Sports’ Director of Planning, Marketing & Infrastructure Development, Limbani Cliff Matola—who additionally chairs the Malawi Sport Awards organizing committee—assured that they would supply résumés of all nominees to assist the general public make knowledgeable voting selections.
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