Non-resident athletes, 14, deserve selection, Psaila says

The Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) has spelt out the names of the 33 athletes who will form part of its biggest contingent ever for the Commonwealth Games, to be held in Melbourne between March 15 and 26.

Speaking to the media at the MOC premises in Tal-Qroqq yesterday, MOC Director of Sport Pippo Psaila said Malta will be represented by its best athletes in Australia.

Mr Psaila went a step further by declaring that the MOC had set itself the target of improving on the result obtained in the Manchester Games in 2002 when William Chetcuti won a bronze medal in Double Trap.

"We are going to Melbourne with a bold intention to prove that the standard of Maltese sport has improved since the Manchester Games in 2002," Mr Psaila commented.

"This is the biggest contingent Malta has had for these Games and one of the strongest ever.

"The selected athletes, except for the basketball team who qualified on their own merit, have achieved the stringent Minimum Qualifying Standards set by the MOC.

"I'm confident that we can improve on the one bronze medal Malta landed in Manchester four years ago, not only in terms of colour but also in numbers."

A look at Malta's squad for the Melbourne Games shows that 14 of the 33 chosen athletes are Maltese-Australian who live in the land down under, including a six-man Lawn Bowls team.

"The presence of non-resident athletes in our contingent is bound to raise a few eyebrows in some quarters," Mr Psaila remarked.

"I want to make it clear that these athletes have received no special treatment. They have all achieved the standards laid down by the MOC and fully deserve to be in our team.

"We have been implementing the non-resident policy since 2001 and the foreign-based athletes have all won medals for Malta in the games they competed in."

In Melbourne, Malta will take part in six sport for the first time in its Commonwealth Games history, namely basketball, weightlifting, table tennis, squash, lawn bowls and cycling. A notable absentee from this list is athletics.

Psaila claimed that the Malta Amateur Athletics Association (MAAA) decided against putting forward any nominations as none of the earmarked athletes are in their peak form at this time of the year.

On his part, MOC president Lino Farrugia Sacco said that during his stay in Australia, he will be attending a number of meetings along with MOC secretary Joe Cassar.

Improving the contacts between Malta and Australia so that the MOC will have a wider choice of non-resident athletes, is a priority for the MOC officials throughout the duration of the Commonwealth Games, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said. He added that the Commonwealth Games will cost the MOC Lm45,000.

"It's a massive expenditure for us but we have received great financial support from several international bodies such as the IOC, EOC and the Commonwealth Games Committee. Their assistance made our participation possible," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco noted.

"Despite the MOC's financial limitations, we will still reward successful athletes with a bonus. The exact amounts have not been decided yet.

"I hope that this will provide a further incentive for the athletes to do their best and make Malta proud in Australia."

Malta's squad in Melbourne...

Basketball: Women's team - Caroline Fenech, Kirsten Micallef, Doreen Parnis, Sandra Schembri Wismayer, Bever Lee Zammit, Dawn Aquilina, Antoinette Borg, Greta Zarb, Fiona Schembri, Josephine Grima, Sara Pace, Rachel Camilleri.

Cycling: Time Trials, Road Race - Nick Formosa, David Treacy, Stephania Magri, Jack Schiavone, Etienne Bonello.

Lawn Bowls: Singles, Pairs, Triples - Joe Attard, Leonard Callus, Shaun J. Parnis, Victor A. Brincat, Alfred J. Vella, Francis M. Vella.

Shooting: Double Trap - William Chetcuti, Rodney Micallef. Trap - Frans Pace, Stanley Cardona, Rebecca Madyson.

Squash: Men's Singles - Joe Desira.

Swimming: 50m, 100m and 200m Butterfly Women - Angela Galea.

Table Tennis: Men's Singles, Doubles - Simon Gerada, Wayne Gerada.

Weightlifting: Women 75kg - Lindsay Borg.