Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts Kangwa Chileshe Permanent Secretary says he never issued any threats to athletes that competed in the just-ended Commonwealth Games in Birmingham but merely urged them to work harder.
Swimmer Tilka Paljk, in her social media post, accused Chileshe of demeaning athletes during a meeting in Birmingham, stating that the comments made by the permanent secretary deeply upset many athletes present and represented a stark level of ignorance and disrespect.
But Chileshe said he never at any point demeaned any athlete but passionately talked to them about the importance of the assignment they were undertaking for the country. This is contained in a report published by Zambia Daily Mail.