Small States of Europe championships

The seventh Triathlon Championships of the Small States of Europe will be held in Malta tomorrow at Salina Bay and Coast Road.

Countries taking part this year are Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco and Malta.

The championships came to life in 1997 following intense lobbying by the Malta Triathlon Association among fellow minnow states on the continent.

With the sport included in the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, a long-term objective was established with the main goal being future participation in the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE).

Emmanuel Azzopardi, president of the Malta Triathlon Association, yesterday talked about tomorrow's race, the first years of the championships and an unfulfilled dream so far of seeing triathlon included in the GSSE.

"We started with athletes from Cyprus and Luxembourg along with the Maltese but in 2001 Monaco joined in and the championships then got the recognition from the International Triathlon Union (ITU)," he said.

"The beginning was difficult but the championships soon got the status of an International Race which meant points were won to gain access to the Olympics and World Championships."

Triathlon's bid to join the GSSE family got a boost this year when the organisers announced that Liechtenstein have decided to send their team.

From the eight GSSE nations, five of them are now involved in the championships which are run according to international rules.

ITU Chief Technical Delegate Enrique Quesada is in Malta to monitor proceedings.

The list of sport for Monaco '07 is complete. Triathlon is out of the reckoning but the sport's administrators are keeping their fingers crossed for inclusion in Cyprus '09.

For tomorrow's race, the local triathlon organisation secured the latest technology - the Ground Positioning System (GPS) - to make sure that distances (swim 1,500m; cycle 40km and run 10km) are accurate.

The list of entries is headed by Luxembourg duo Jackie Komes and Tom Carrier, winners of the 2003 championships.

Monaco are led by Bruno Fiore and the Malta team includes Dermot Galea, Mark Zammit, Keith Galea, Michael Gellel and Danica Spiteri.

This year, Dermot Galea and Zammit have won a race each in local competition and are constantly pushing each other to ever greater performances which should boost their chances tomorrow.

Azzopardi said the emphasis of the organisation is on the safety of the athletes, also thanks to the assistance of the Police Force.

To reduce the possibility of accident, he said, routes were specially chosen where triathletes can concentrate on the race and not having to worry about security.

An ambulance and medical staff from St James Hospital will also be present for the duration of the race, between 7 and 11 a.m.

The triathlon association sponsors are Kee Klamp, Powerade, Kristal Water and the Plum Tree Restaurant.