UNIMA named overall winner of PUSSAM Games
The University of Malawi has added a new accolade to its impressive list of achievements in sports, clinching the title of overall winner at the recently concluded 4th Public University Staff Sports Association of Malawi (PUSSAM) Intervarsity games. The games, which were held on 7th September, 2024, at the KUHES Sports Complex, included football, netball, volleyball, chess, pool and also featured other traditional games like bawo, and nguli, adding a cultural touch. This year’s games embraced the theme “Be Sporty, Stay Healthy,” highlighting the importance of physical fitness and well-being.
The PUSSAM games brought together members of staff from all the six public universities in Malawi, namely Mzuzu University, Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), the University of Malawi (UNIMA), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHES), and Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS).
The event was generously sponsored by Ecobank, which contributed MK3,000,000.00. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms. Penelope Mwale, Ecobank Head of Segments, assured the participants that the bank would continue to sponsor games in the coming years.
The games kicked off at 05:30 am with athletics, promising a day packed with entertaining competitions amongst the universities. UNIMA’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Samson Sajidu and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr Sunduzwayo Madise, were both present at the event, showing their unwavering support and enthusiasm for the games.
Despite not securing top positions in football and netball—where UNIMA team finished as runners-up—the university excelled in other sporting activities like volleyball, darts, pool and athletics, where it scooped 4 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and a bronze medal, securing their place as the overall champions of the games. KUHES, the host institution, emerged as the runners-up.
In athletics, UNIMA also delivered an outstanding performance, securing a total of 9 gold medals, 8 silver medals, and 4 bronze medals, which earned them the overall top position in athletics. This achievement was particularly remarkable, as the runners-up only managed to win 5 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 5 bronze medals.
Ms. Juliet Mphande, an athlete from UNIMA who secured 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal, expressed her excitement about the impressive results. She noted that this success has boosted their confidence as they prepare for the Southern African University Staff Sports Association (SAUSSA) games scheduled for December 2024 in Zimbabwe.
The PUSSAM games have provided an opportunity for various emerging players from different universities to be spotted, as the universities collaborate to form teams to represent Malawi at the SAUSSA games.
After the games, the universities through their representatives went to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre where they donated assorted items to patients in one of the wards that they visited, as part of their corporate social responsibility.
