Xuereb sisters to get more MOC assistance

Track and field twins Francesca and Martina Xuereb have caught the headlines for the right reasons this summer.

After winning medals in the Monaco GSSE in June and then leaving their mark in the World Junior Championships in Hungary, the 16-year-old sisters extended their rich vein of form to the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) held in Belgrade last week.

Forming part of the Maltese Olympic Committee contingent of six athletes, which also included Alessandra Pace and Andy Grech (track and field) and judokas Alex Attard and Aaron Bezzina, Martina reached the semi-finals of the 200 metres while Francesca just missed out on a historical first medal in the Youth Games when she placed fourth in the 400m race final.

The feats of the Xuereb duo these past few weeks did not go unnoticed with the MOC.

In fact, president Lino Farrugia Sacco announced that he was planning to propose a motion in the next Executive Committee meeting to include Francesca Xuereb among the beneficiaries of the MOC schemes and increase the funding of Aspirant Elite Athlete Martina Xuereb.

"Francesca and Martina are a true symbol of determination. They're serious and train hard. Also, they've shown that in our country we have enough potential to compete at this level," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said during a conference call at Tal-Qroqq yesterday.

"In Belgrade, there was the best crop of emerging talent in Europe and we came agonisingly close to win our first Youth Games medal. Francesca was a fraction of a second away from a place on the podium.

"It's clear that our investment in the youth sector is reaping dividends.

"Our resources are limited but having such rare talent we are obliged to double our support to make sure that this development continues.

"In the coming weeks we shall discuss a proposal to allocate more funds that will not only help Francesca and Martina in their preparation but will also guarantee them participation in more international competitions."

The MOC president said that the result achieved by Francesca Xuereb takes added significance when one considers that the EYOF Games have lately gained the reputation as being the perfect arena which heralds the future of Olympic champions.

Youth Games standard

Maltese athletes have been participating in the Youth Games ever since the first edition in 1991.

Before, several established sports personalities, such as Marcon Bezzina, Lisa Marie Bezzina and Charlene Attard, had acquired their first experience from these Games.

Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said the Youth Games had a standard by far superior to the GSSE with Luxembourg being the only small nation to finish on the podium in Belgrade after winning a bronze medal.

"This showing should spur all those involved in our sport to re-double efforts and find ways and means to provide the necessary financial assistance to our developing youngsters who aspire to make a name in their sport," the MOC president said.

"Surely, gone are the days when many were of the opinion that our representatives cannot compete with others outside our country because of poor results. Lately, we have shown that with the right preparation Maltese athletes can be really competitive."

Envic Galea, MOC Director of Youth, said the financial issue was not the only problem facing Maltese youths.

"Unfortunately, our education system is not sports friendly as well," he said. "We've been saying this for too long now.

"Every year, our teenage athletes have to deal with the extra pressure of sitting for their exams at almost the same time that they are due to travel abroad for competition, making it very difficult for them to concentrate on all fronts.

"In sports, the only way forward is to provide our developing athletes the chance of training and, perhaps, competing abroad.

"Sicily is only a few miles away from our shores and they have adequate facilities and some top-level competitions... we should make the most of that aspect.

"Regular top-level competition could see us through one day but that can only happen with overseas participation."

In Belgrade, MOC secretary general Joe Cassar was appointed chairman of the co-ordination committee. This body was set up by the European Olympic Committee with the task of helping the hosts in the Youth Games organisation.

The next EYOF Games will be held in Tampere, Finland, in 2009.