After a rigorous selection process that began in November last year, the final nominees for the annual Malawi Sport Awards were officially announced on Monday allowing the public to vote for the winners who have made their mark in the sports arena in 2024.
The digital voting portal, awards.malawisport.mw, has been opened from today until February 25, allowing the public to cast their votes, which carry a 30% weight, while the remaining 70% will be determined by the final panel of judges. The winners will be unveiled at a gala night on February 28 at Sunbird Nkopola in Mangochi.
Notably, the Chawinga sisters, Tabitha and Temwa, are the only final nominees for the Sports Woman of the Year category. Meanwhile, the National Team of the Year award is being contested by the Under-21 netball team and the Under-19 women’s cricket team.
Paralympian Mphatso Saukile, last year’s winner, has been nominated again 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 include 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), while the female nominees are Eneless Fabiano (football), 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, fans can vote for chess, cricket, or netball. Chess has also been nominated in the Best Executed Sport Development Program of the Year category for its Chess in Schools initiative, competing against 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 towards sports coverage are also recognized. The nominees for Sports Journalist of the Year (Print) are Mphatso Malidadi and Peter Fote (both 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 selection process began with sports associations nominating candidates they believed had excelled and achieved international recognition.
A panel comprising members of the Sports Writers Association then analyzed the nominations and selected the best candidates, which were subsequently reviewed by an adjudication committee that finalized the three nominees in each category for public voting.
A member of the adjudication committee, Charles Ulaya, noted that while the process was challenging, it was insightful in evaluating how some sports associations present their nominees.
He highlighted that some associations merely forwarded names based on participation in international tournaments, even when no medals were won.
“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 said. “Malawi should not just be a participating country; we need to compete for honors at every tournament.”
He also acknowledged that several associations provided exemplary presentations of their nominees and encouraged administrators to maintain proper records of athletes’ performances for easier reference in future nominations.
Meanwhile, the Malawi National Council of Sports’ Director of Planning, Marketing & Infrastructure Development, Limbani Cliff Matola—who also chairs the Malawi Sport Awards organizing committee—assured that they would provide résumés of all nominees to help the public make informed voting decisions.
