Malta team leaves for Melbourne

Malta's adventure in the 2006 Commonwealth Games got underway yesterday when the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) contingent set off for a long journey to Australia via Dubai for the Melbourne Games between March 15 and 26.

The contingent was headed by Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco, MOC president, and general secretary Joseph Cassar. The group was formed of 18-locally based athletes and officials from their respective national associations.

Malta's chef-de-mission Pippo Psaila is already in Australia where he has teamed up with the 14 non-resident athletes competing for Malta in the Games. Swimmer Angela Galea will make the trip 'down under' tomorrow.

Double Trap shooter William Chetcuti will be Malta's flag-bearer in Melbourne. He will be looking to better the bronze medal he won in Manchester four years ago. After the Commonwealth Games, Chetcuti will head to China to take part in a World Cup shoot.

Malta's only other medal in the Commonwealths was that of Laurie Pace in Auckland 1990. She was third in judo.

"We are travelling to Australia in good spirits," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco told The Times.

"We are confident that our athletes had an ideal preparation for these Games. We have a good feeling that in Melbourne our athletes can produce a very good performance overall and, perhaps, improve the result achieved in Manchester in 2002."

Meanwhile, the Basketball Clubs Standing Committee yesterday issued a statement auguring success to the women's team but reiterating that they were against their participation from the beginning.

"We would like to make it clear that our objection to the participation in the Games was based on two main reasons, namely, the very high standard in Melbourne and the disruption of the local calendar which the MBA had to resort to so that they could send the national team to Australia," the statement said.