By Edwin Mbewe

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-On Friday, November 3, 2023, the Association for International Sports for All (TAFISA) awarded the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Chief Executive Officer Stanley Mutoya with global recognition for the Sterling work he has done in contributing towards the development of Sports for All in Southern Africa.

The ceremony took place in the city of Düsseldorf.

The Friend for Life Award is conferred on individuals who have contributed immensely towards the growth of TAFISA and the development of Sports for All globally.

Mutoya’s work in ensuring that sport reaches everyone in Southern Africa has been noted and appreciated globally and deservedly received recognition on the World stage, in the process projecting Region 5 on the global map.

He has been pivotal in the training of Sports for All practitioners through the TAFISA certified Leadership courses.

In addition to that, Region 5 has ensured that all ten member countries are affiliated with global bodies as members of TAFISA.

Region 5 has also been the pioneer of a mobility Exchange Programme called Female Leaders of Tomorrow (FLOT) which saw ten young women leaders (one from each of the ten Region 5 Member countries) partnering with ten others from Europe leading to a final exchange session held in Kazakhstan in 2021.

Anna Mguni of Zimbabwe, Ms. Muditambi Ravele, and Katongo Bwalya of Zambia were the three mentors for these girls.

Under Mutoya’s leadership, the region has introduced several high-impact sports for all programs including Walk for Life which this year targeted ten thousand Walking in Southern Africa on September 30, 2023.

The Walk for Life feeds into the TAFISA World Walking Day Global Challenge designed to get people walking across the 24 World time zone.

Region 5 has also introduced the virtual aerobics program called E-Fitness in which every Friday between 6 am and 6:30 am Region 5 conducts a. aerobics sessions through their Facebook page to keep everyone physically active.

This programme has grown to attract huge interest from the public and provides access to physical activity I’m the comfort of people’s homes.

Reacting to the award from Düsseldorf, Germany, Mutoya said,

“I am grateful and honored to have received such global recognition. To imagine that over 350 sports leaders from 71 countries unanimously agreed to recognise the humble efforts I have deployed towards making the world a better place through sport is more than humbling”,

” It is motivating and encouraging to note that the world will be watching when people do well”, stated Mutoya.

TAFISA is the leading international sport-for-all-all organization whose aim is to create a better world by unfolding the potential of Sport for All and Physical activity globally and maximizing its contribution to overcoming the world’s global challenges.

TAFISA has over 383 member organizations in more than 170 countries on all continents.

The 28th TAFISA World Congress drew representatives from all over the world- from grassroots to international sports Organizations under the theme Sports for All: More together than ever.