Renewed effort to raise sport's profile in Malta
National Championships cap triathlon weekend on October 6-7
Triathlon is not one of the most popular sports in Malta. Having to contend with a 1.5km swim, a 13km bike ride before finishing off with a 10km run, is a tough proposition for any athlete.
Nevertheless, Maltese triathletes have enjoyed their fair share of success in international competition, most notably Danica Spiteri's gold medal at the European Championships for Small States which were held in Malta last year.
The country's leading triathletes will this year be vying to win the National Championships on Sunday, October 7, along the Salina Coast Road. The race will bring to an end a weekend of activities organised by the Malta Triathlon Association with a view to attracting more locals to the sport.
"Triathlon is a very difficult sport due to the fact that one has to combine swimming, cycling and running in one race," Manuel Azzopardi, the president of the local triathlon association, told a news conference at the Cottonera Sports Complex yesterday.
"However, we are aware that there is growing interest among youngsters who would like to try out our sport. On October 6-7, we shall organise a triathlon weekend, starting with a Corporate Challenge race on the Saturday.
"This event is open to everyone. Participants can do it either as part of a relay team or individually. It promises to be an interesting day for our sport and hopefully, more people will take up triathlon."
The Corporate Challenge will take in shorter distances than the normal triathlon with a 200m swim followed by a 13km bike segment and a 2km run. Companies are being encouraged to send representative teams to take part in this race.
The main attraction of the weekend will be the National Championships on October 7. Around 25 Maltese athletes have already registered for the race. A token contingent of foreign athletes from Macedonia, UK and Germany are also expected to participate.
New sponsors
Travel website ChooseMalta.com are the main sponsors of the National Championships after they recently signed a three-year agreement with the Malta Triathlon Association.
"Triathlon is probably one of the most challenging sports," Jonathan Shaw, Sales Director at ChooseMalta.com, said. "It has qualities and requisites that we, as a company, believe in. The race in itself has the potential to grow into an international event due to Malta's reputation as an ideal sports destination.
"We are committed to assisting the Triathlon Association and the three-year agreement gives us sufficient time to improve this event over the coming years and attract more foreign participation."