Heed the athletes' pleas

There was an air of euphoria at the Malta International Airport yesterday evening as the bulk of the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) contingent received a warm welcome after their exploits at last week's Games of the Small States of Europe in Andorra.

The festive atmosphere was more than justified. The athletes came home with an unsurpassed tally of medals for GSSE participation abroad - 38 (7 gold, 13 silver and 18 bronze). This is slightly better than the previous best showing in San Marino 2001 - (7 gold, 12 silver, 16 bronze).

The smiles on the faces of the MOC officials amply described their feelings. It was clear that pre-Games projections had been reached in the large part.

When the list of athletes in our modest contingent of 64 was announced, a few eyebrows were raised. How could the San Marino result ever be matched?

But the MOC, again led by president Lino Farrugia Sacco and the tireless Director of Sport Pippo Psaila among others, had declared itself confident of fulfilling all targets. They believed our selection included the most talented athletes around. Results have proved the MOC right.

Athletics once again came to the fore and yielded the best medal count, sport by sport, for Malta - 18 in all. This was athletics' best in the GSSE.

It seems there's no stopping Carol Galea. Sheer dedication and love for the sport were again the ingredients for her superb performances at the Andorra la Vella city stadium.

These days she is bracketed among the veterans but last week she still proved to be one of our leading track and field athletes after winning gold in the 10,000m and silver in the 5,000m.

Besides, Galea is an inspiration to others. Team-mate Lisa Bezzina is a strong candidate to take the mantle from Malta's 'queen of sport' when Galea decides to retire.

However, the most pleasing aspect for the Malta Amateur Athletics Association (MAAA) is the emergence of teenage talent. These young athletes have the potential to lead Malta's charge on track and field for many years to come as the seasoned ones, like Mario Bonello, are now looking to retire after years of sterling service.

Karl Farrugia, Charlene Attard, Martina Xuereb, Lara Scerri, Jeandre Mallia and Diane Borg are only a few of those who burst onto the scene in Andorra. They all have the attributes to succeed and continue in the footsteps of their predecessors.

When interviewed, most of the athletes and officials in Andorra all mentioned the need for national federations to get more backing from different quarters, private enterprise or higher authorities.

An organisation like the MAAA also needs the tools to nourish the potential of athletes.

The training facilities at Marsa are adequate but not enough. Those practising to represent the country in international events have to stick with their coaches' programmes without interference. The MAAA need to be in charge of their facilities in order to monitor the athletes' progress more closely.

The three medals in swimming, one of them gold, were indeed a pleasant surprise.

Angela Galea's first place in the 200 metres 'fly was the first won by a Maltese in the GSSE.

The other members in the squad also gave a good account of themselves with the bronze medal won in the 4x200m free relay, a clear testimony of teamwork and progress.

Still, there is a lot of work to be done before we can say that we are starting to close the gap on the others. With so many medals at stake, national coach Steve Kormos should be given all the assistance he requires to see that we'll do better in Monaco in 2007.

Like athletics, in swimming there is a core of youngsters coming up. They look to have the potential to be competitive in future and the ASA has to give them the right incentive to see that they pursue their careers.

Astounding success

In table tennis, Malta has given a strong sign of supremacy in the men's division after winning two golds, a silver and a bronze thanks to Simon Gerada and Andrzej Makowski. These two should be commended for their serious preparation and results as they reaped their just rewards after coming through a hectic week of competition.

But, the Malta Table Tennis Association and the MOC should press for a change in the GSSE schedule.

Five days of continuous pressure and competition is not recommended. Players are only human after all.

Marcon Bezzina and her gold medal lifted the spirits within the judo fraternity.

This sport has done consistently well in GSSE and another fine showing in Andorra has again proved that the judo federation ranks among the most organised sporting bodies in our country.

The same can be said of the Malta Shooting Federation. William Chetcuti won his Double Trap competition in superb style. This shooter has class and it seems only a matter of time before he strikes success in more prestigious international events.

In Andorra 2005, basketball experienced a dip in its fortunes. The women's national team was not expected to be successful in their title defence but their performances in the opening two games must have set the alarm bells ringing.

Prior to Andorra, coach Santino Coppa had warned that he needed more time with his squad to develop the team into another formidable outfit like the one that powered to gold in 2003.

The Malta Basketball Association must strive to ensure that Coppa's programme is carried out to the full if they want the team to be competitive in next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

In cycling, Roderick Muscat has all but sealed his status as Malta's most talented rider. The international experience gained from competing in Belgium has clearly benefited him and it was a key factor in his third-placing in the time trial.

But, without doubt, if we are to improve our level of competitiveness, more youngsters like those who shone for Malta last week must have all the opportunities to develop their skills with professional training and coaching expertise of a higher level.

To attain all this, more funds are needed. The MOC's grant from the budget allocated to sport last year is definitely insufficient for Malta's elite athletes to keep the pace with nations of our size who, in some instances, receive government aid ten times as much as ours.

Time is ripe to give our sport a much-needed and deserved push. After the Malta 2003 GSSE, many expected local sport to flourish but this did not materialise.

The encouraging result in Andorra has now given everyone another opportunity to start moving towards another level.

The ball is in the court of the authorities. They must listen to the pleas of our sporting ambassadors whose sole objective is to uphold the name of our country in international sport.