Whilst other countries are busy making serious preparations to come out with medals during the forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games in China scheduled for August 14-25, Malawi is going there to learn.

The Southern African country’s Malawi Olympic Committee (Moc), has selected four athletes to represent the nation namely Chancy Master, Lucia Chandamale, Zarra Pinto and Charlton Nyirenda on Olympic solidarity as none of the local athletes qualified for the event.

“We have changed our focus, we are putting our resources in the development of youth athletes and do not expect results in 2008 but around 2010, we just ask the sports fraternity to support the athletes,” said Moc president Floriano Massah.

Massah cited the money they have pumped into development programmes for table tennis, Taekwando and athletics as examples of their investment.

Master and Chandamale have been undergoing training at International Association of Athletics Federation’s Eldorado High performance but their personal times are yet to show any significant improvement.

In an interview with the country’s local daily of the Nation last week, Pinto and Nyirenda admitted that they were not thinking of winning a medal in Beijing.

“I am going there basically for the experience of rubbing shoulders with the best in the world,” said 14 year old Pinto, a student at St Andrews International High School in Malawi’s commercial city of Blantyre.

Pinto’s national time stands at 50 seconds in 100 metres free style (swimming style) while Nyirenda’s 50 free style record is pegged at 28 seconds.

The Malawi swimmers will be undergoing training between now and August when the competition starts, under the mentorship of swimming coach Yona Walesi, probably one of the best swimmers to have graced the country’s pools.