The Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) has called for stronger leadership, accountability and professionalism in sports associations, saying sporting success depends on more than talented athletes.
MNCS Board Chairperson Jim Kalua made the call on Thursday when he opened a sports leadership training workshop at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
Speaking under the theme “Promoting Sporting Excellence,” Kalua said Malawi could only achieve sustained sporting success if its sports institutions were supported by strong governance, effective administration and financial discipline.
“The future of Malawian sport depends not only on talented athletes, but also on capable, ethical, professional and visionary leadership,” Kalua said.
He said sports associations needed to move beyond developing strategic plans and focus on implementing them.
“Having a strategy is only the beginning. Execution is what produces results,” he said, urging associations to clearly define their targets, responsibilities, resources and timelines while holding leaders accountable for delivery.
Kalua said good governance should not be viewed merely as compliance, but as a way of building transparent, accountable and trusted sporting institutions.
He urged sports leaders to maintain proper financial controls, provide accurate financial information and account for resources entrusted to their organisations.
The Board Chairperson also challenged participants to use the training to examine existing practices and identify areas requiring improvement.
“The true measure of this workshop will not be the number of certificates issued at the end,” he said. “It will be the changes we see afterwards.”
He identified better governance, financial discipline, strategic execution, professionalism, stronger partnerships, better-organised sporting events and safer sporting environments as some of the expected outcomes.
Kalua further called for sports institutions that are not dependent on individuals but are built around strong systems, clear responsibilities and sustainable resources.
He said the MNCS could not transform the sector alone, calling for collaboration among national sports associations, government, the Malawi Olympic Committee, district sports structures, athletes, coaches, sponsors, development partners and the private sector.
He also encouraged sports leaders to embrace technology, innovation and new approaches to financing and developing sport.
“The journey towards sporting excellence begins with leadership. It begins with competence. It begins with accountability. It begins with professionalism,” Kalua said.
He challenged each participant to leave the workshop with at least one practical commitment to implement in their organisation.
“Let us turn knowledge into action. Let us turn plans into results. Let us raise the standard of sports leadership in Malawi,” he said.
