The European Athletics Association (EAA) has recently named Malta Amateur Athletics Association (MAAA) president Anthony Chircop in its Reflections Commission whose job is to study and report the work of the EAA Council itself.

The Reflections Commission tackles youth athletics, the competition programme, management planning and finance, public relations and the media and cooperation with other institutions and governments.

The chairman is Karel Pilney, EAA treasurer. The other members in the Reflections Commission are Valery Borzov (Ukraine), Frank Hensel (Germany), Sargis Khac-haturyin (Armenia), Levy Psavkin (Israel) and Kari Saarinen (Finland).

The first meeting is scheduled for February, in Leipzig, after the European Indoor Cup competition.

Coaching boost

Zeljko Aras, an athletics coach with Allcomers Aloysians, and Athleta Pembroke's Lara Gerada, better known for her achievements in the long and triple jumps, recently attended a 15-day coaching course in Nairobi, Kenya.

They qualified as IAAF Level Two coaches in sprints and hurdles managing to place first and second respectively out of a total of 19 coaches, mostly from African countries.

Two months ago, Ralph Mifsud, another Allcomers AC coach, completed a similar course in Nairobi and qualified for long and middle distance coaching also placing first out of a group of 18 candidates.

Considering that another local trainer, Leandros Calleja, had qualified to coach in 'jumps' after following a similar course two years ago, the MAAA, this year marking its 75th anniversary, can now boast four qualified coaches at Level Two.

One expects these trainers, together with a long list of coaches holding the MAAA/UK Athletics coaching licence, to get together and form a local athletics coaches organisation. As one group they would work better to improve the standard of their profession and athletics in general.