Thirteen young athletes will be leaving the islands tomorrow to take part in Sunday`s Wimbledon Hercules AC meeting in Crystal Palace. Details of the trip and other athletics activities were given by the Malta Amateur Athletic Association president (MAAA) Anthony Chircop yesterday.

Chircop said this will be the third year that the MAAA will be participating in the UK event and the fine results achieved by the junior national team in previous editions have bolstered the association`s optimism ahead of this year`s event.

"The Crystal Palace meeting is one of the main targets of the season for many of our juniors because it gives them the chance to compare their wits against foreign opposition. This group is made up of talented youth whom we believe have what it takes to win more medals," Chircop remarked.

The Malta contingent: Lorna Cachia (100m, 200m), Maxine Gauci (100m, 200m), Lorna Mifsud (800m, 200m), Nadia Mifsud (800m, 200m), Lara Scerri (100m, 200m), Denise Vella (600m), Antonia Zammit (Long jump, 100m), Tiziana Zerafa (800m, 100m), Jonathan Galea (Long Jump, 100m), James Parnis (1,500m, 100m), Iommi Underwood (800m, 200m), Alessandro Zerafa (100m, 200m) and Celine Pace (100m, 200m).

Meanwhile, the MAAA will be staging the annual EuroSport Adidas International meeting today at the Marsa race track. Notwithstanding the fact that the association had refrained from promoting the meeting abroad after it had originally been told that the track would be unavailable at this time of the year, over 50 foreign athletes are still expected to take part. The Malta national team, under the charge of Geoff Ward, will also participate in the event.

Ward, the national coaching co-ordinator, said that as part of the association`s Youth Development Programme, an Open day for Athletics is being organised by the MAAA on Sunday April 14 between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. The event will be open to children between eight and 12 years who will be introduced to the sport by a group of elite athletes and coaches.

"The aim of the event is to promote the sport among children. We want to demonstrate that athletics can be fun and for this purpose we have brought a number of original equipment," Ward said.

The last item on the association`s agenda for this month is a seminar entitled "Strategies for Success". The seminar, to be held at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard on April 26 and 27, will discuss ways of how to improve the standard of athletics.

"We believe that there are various events in which, with a little more effort and specialised training, our athletes can achieve the standards to qualify for the IAAF `B` World Championships," Chircop said.

The MAAA head said that two prominent athletics personalities will attend the seminar. Adam Walker, Deputy Chief Executive of UK Athletics, will deliver a speech on the possibility of introducing in Malta the Coaching Training Scheme as well as the coaching licensing system adopted in the UK.

Frank Dick, president of the Euro Coaches` Association, will not only take part in the seminar but will also engage in talks with the MAAA over the possibility of holding their annual congress in Malta in November.

Parliamentary Secretary for Sport Jesmond Mugliett hailed the effort of the MAAA over the past years, claiming that their youth policy is paying its dividends.

Mugliett said that the government`s financial support this year is focused on the refurbishment of the race track and other equipment so that local athletes can avail themselves of first-class venues ahead of next year`s GSSE in Malta. The Marsa athletics track is due to be resurfaced this summer, Mugliett confirmed.

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