The Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) yesterday dismissed William Chetcuti's new sponsorship deal with Go Mobile as irregular.
In a statement, the MOC said that Chetcuti, Malta's leading sportsman, is tied to it by an exclusive contract and subsequently, cannot sign commercial agreements with third parties.
"Following recent media reports regarding a sponsorship agreement by a local company with elite athlete William Chetcuti, the Malta Olympic Committee would like to clarify that the said athlete has an exclusive contract with the MOC which naturally prohibits him from entering into commercial agreements with third parties," the MOC statement said.
The MOC claimed that they have allocated over Lm7,000 for the preparation and participation of Double Trap shooter Chetcuti during the current year, and also paid for his participation in the GSSE Andorra 2005 and the Mediterranean Games in Almeria.
The statement also alluded to the money the MOC spent on shooting as well as to aid Chetcuti's development. Reference was also made to the recent launching of the Outstanding Athlete Scheme for top athletes and the fact that, to date, Chetcuti is the only athlete to have qualified for the said scheme.
The MOC's tough stance comes only a few days after Chetcuti added another honour to his growing list of achievements by winning gold in Double Trap in a European Juniors GP held in Italy at the weekend.
"The MOC, out of its free will, also paid William Chetcuti cash bonuses after he returned from the Olympic Games in Athens and the Belgrade World Championships," the statement added.
"The MOC is also in the process of finalising an International Olympic Committee scholarship agreement for Chetcuti that will see him benefiting from thousands of Maltese liri in support of his sporting career."
In concluding its strongly-worded statement, the MOC warned Chetcuti that he would require its approval to take part in the major sporting events.
"It is pertinent to point out that for Chetcuti and any other athlete to compete and represent Malta in the GSSE, Commonwealth Games, Mediterranean Games and, above all, the Olympic Games he must be approved and accredited by the MOC," the statement said.