Africa ensures continued powerlifting development

“All of the participants were passionate and driven to bring their learned knowledge to their home countries to develop Para powerlifting and build a team for the next Championships.”

World Para Powerlifting delivered a series of education courses in Malawi to ensure the continued development of the sport in the region ahead of the 2018 African Championships.

Participants from across the continent came together in the capital city of Lilongwe in mid-July to enhance their knowledge about the sport with the support of the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

In the Level 3 Technical Official Course, the assistants learned how to apply the technical rules and regulations and the various roles of a technical official. Six participants coming from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi and Zimbabwe were certified.

Course educator Noor Syahieda Mat Shah of Malaysia said: “All of the participants were passionate and driven to bring their learned knowledge to their home countries to develop Para powerlifting and build a team for the next Championships.”

Fifteen participants from Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe took part in the Introduction to Coaching Course and training camp. They discovered more about talent identification and strategies, and training techniques.

Africa provides some of the world’s strongest powerlifters in the world such as Paralympic and world champions Sherif Osman and Randa Mahmoud of Egypt, and Lucy Ejike and Roland Ezuruike of Nigeria.