By Stanley Nkhoma
The University of Livingstona Kaning'ina Campus is under scrutiny as concerns arise over prize money disparity between men's and women's sports teams at the Principal’s Trophy Award ceremony on Friday evening at Kaningina campus hall.
The university's recent decision to award significantly less prize money to the women's netball teams, compared to the men's football teams, has sparked questioning among students for gender equality in sports.
In a stark contrast to the global push for pay parity in sports, the University of Livingstonia Kaning'ina Campus seems to have overlooked the issue, perpetuating a trend observed in various parts of the world, including Malawi.
Despite international efforts to bridge the gender pay gap in sports, disparities persist at the local level, raising questions about equality and fairness.
The women's netball teams, winners, and runners-up, were reportedly awarded substantially less prize money than their male counterparts in the football teams, drawing attention to a long-standing issue that has often been dismissed or ignored.
The cash prize saw the first placed football team from the third level students pocket 110,000 Malawi kwacha in comparison to the winners of the netball team, which saw the third level females collect 80,000 Malawi kwacha in prize money.
This discrepancy not only reflects a lack of commitment to gender equality within the university but also perpetuates the broader problem seen on a global scale.
Malawi, in particular, has been criticized for its consistent negligence in addressing pay parity between men and women in sports.
Despite the achievements and dedication of female athletes, they continue to receive less recognition and financial rewards than their male counterparts.
This raises concerns about the country's commitment to promoting gender equality and providing equal opportunities for all athletes.
International figures, such as Megan Rapinoe, have been at the forefront of the fight against prize money disparity in sports. The renowned footballer and advocate for gender equality have consistently spoken out against the unequal treatment of female athletes.
Rapinoe's efforts highlight the global nature of the issue and the need for concerted action to rectify the disparities that persist in various sports.
Some students showed no concern to the prize money differences and stated the act as justifiable. “Football is a bigger sport on campus and the prize money needs to reflect on the attention the sport brings,” stated one male student who asked for anonymity.
“Considering that a team of girls for netball comprises of seven players compared to football’s eleven, I would deem the prizes fair and justifiable,’’ Lauren Ngulube another student at the University stated.
“In my opinion, each sport was supposed to receive the same amount of money because both sports were played competitively in the same conditions. Giving the football team more money undermines the work of the girls netball games who worked to earn their top finish,” Ruth Kondowe a concerned student expressed.
On the other hand Prisca Mtsukwa felt differently,” The men’s game –football, requires more energy, has higher risks and longer playing time than netball, so it’s only fair the football team gets more money to compensate their physical input in their sport,” she said.
As the University of Livingstona Kaning'ina Campus faces backlash over its recent decision, the larger issues is how a large population of the students showed little or no concern at all of the prize money disparity.
However the school showed gender blindness since they did not address this issue at first and even the presentation of the prizes, these forms of blindness are a threat in societies.
The incident serves as a reminder that the fight for prize money parity is not only a global issue but one that requires attention and action at the local level to ensure fair treatment for all athletes, regardless of gender.
This is 2023, It is important to eliminate these signs of marginalization and gender equality not only in sports but in society as whole.
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