A true commitment

In countries worldwide, the word sports is taken very seriously. It is universally recognised that participation in sports, whether as a practitioner or an enthusiastic fan, contributes to the well-being of every country. Even war-torn countries such as Iraq manage to come together under a sporting flag. Other countries invest seriously in their athletes and in sports infrastructure and thrive at an international level.

It seems that Malta always lags behind. While I am not saying that governments, past and present, have not invested any money in sports, I am simply saying that we are definitely not investing enough.

Today's society needs sports like never before. We need to encourage active participation by as many youths as possible in a wide range of sporting activities. There is value in participation at every level. There must, however, be a flexible mechanism to identify those youths who can really make it to the top.

Success in sports does not come without heavy investment. To gain recognition and achieve results on an international level there has to be a deep commitment from the side of the player himself/herself, from the federation involved and from the government.

The concept for a primary and secondary school dedicated mainly to sports has been considered many times over the years but has never materialised. The government continues to spend money on building and maintaining various sports halls but this approach, while not negative, does not seem to be having the desired affect.

In 1993, the National Pool was built so that our swimmers could use it all year round and, yet, the pool is being kept closed from November to January for financial reasons. This is definitely not acceptable. This is the kind of action that makes us lose ground. While other swimmers and waterpolo players are training all year round in their hi-tech, beautifully-maintained indoor heated pools, we have to put up with a pool that is closed during the winter months.

The decision-makers must change their attitude towards sports. My sport, waterpolo, like most sports in Malta, survives on sponsors and government contributions.

Through the Malta Olympic Committee, the government gives the ASA a Lm5,000 grant, which goes entirely to cover costs relating to swimming. Other than that, the ASA is given reduced rates for the use of the National Pool to host waterpolo matches and swimming competitions.

Government contributions are very important to us but these must increase if we aspire to reach certain goals. Also, the introduction of "sports leave" for elite players in the Employment and Industrial Relations Act would be a step in the right direction.

Our waterpolo national team has just returned from Manchester where the European B Championships were held. We placed ninth out of 12 teams. Malta used to beat or compete with many of the teams that placed well in this championship.

Why is it that Malta fell back and those teams advanced? The truth is that there is no serious commitment from decision-makers. I also believe that the ASA can do more and we must certainly evaluate our actions. However, there is a limit as to how much we can do because nowadays to have a competitive team we need a good financial back up, something we certainly do not have at the moment.

On another note, I would like to congratulate the players, coaches, doctors and team managers and staff for the professionalism they have shown during the Manchester games and for giving their utmost for our country.

Dr Camilleri is vice-president of the Aquatic Sports Association.