62 Zambian athletes stranded after Region 5 Games in Malawi
Zambian athletes at the Africa Union Sports Council Region 5 Games will return home in batches and by road.
According to an article posted on The Mast official Facebook page, this follows the government’s failure to charter plane for the delegation that finished third overall in medal ranking.
The report states that organisers in Malawi had to arrange for support staff to remain at the Games Village to attend to the Zambian delegation which was the only contingent remaining despite the event officially ending on Sunday.
The delay in travel has forced Football Association of Zambia to cancel some women’s league matches because some clubs have players still stuck in Malawi, according to a circular shared by an official to clubs.
Sports minister Elvis Nkandu dispelled suggestions that the delegation was stranded.
Nkandu said; “Team Zambia will be back home tomorrow (Tuesday) through the chartered plane we came with. The contract we have with the airline is on the 13th so tomorrow the team will be back home and for now the athletes they are in their rooms relaxing as they wait for the trip to Lusaka.”
Nkandu told journalists in the Malawian capital Lilongwe on Monday. “The team is not stranded; they are relaxing. You know, the games ended last night and we thought it wise that they have a rest; tomorrow they will be in Lusaka.”
Zambia hauled 62 medals and had the largest contingent of 350 athletes and coaches at this year’s games, standing shoulder to shoulder with South Africa.
There were 12 sports codes at the tournament that included football, tennis, volleyball, netball, judo, taekwondo, basketball, swimming, e-sports, athletics, visually impaired athletics, and boxing.
Ten countries, Angola, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and e-Swatini and hosts Malawi participated in the Games.
