Sports schools

I refer to the article by swimmer Nikki Abela where she mentioned the problems locally-grown swimmers are facing.

Yes, it is about time that the authorities seriously start to think about creating Malta's first sports school. This is something I have mentioned time and time again over the years however, unfortunately, to no avail. Sports schools have existed in other countries for years so, obviously, when competition comes along these countries are always at an advantage.

However, a much more serious problem that we have in Malta, which, in my opinion, is changing but at a slow pace, is the fact that sports in Malta is not given that much importance in our children's upbringing.

I would like to point out some areas in society that need to change in order to give our athletes a chance to compete at a higher level.

Missing training sessions: I still meet many parents who make their children miss training sessions during exam time. This is wrong as training is a means of releasing stress and tension and if a child is well organised s/he will be able to cope with both. Sometimes children are not sent to their swimming lessons during cold or rainy weather, an unbelievable excuse but still true.

Eating the right food: Despite the improvement in promoting healthy eating habits we still come across many school tuck shops that sell pastizzi, bread rolls, sweets and soft drinks. Healthy options should be offered and children educated in the right food combinations.

Giving a good example: It is useless to try to instil good habits into children when at home they are not given a good example. For example, how can parents that smoke tell their children not to smoke?

Even the government needs to change and improve in the way health is looked upon. Why are children under the age of 16 not allowed into gyms when in other countries there are gyms that specifically cater for children and encourage children to attend specially-organised sessions?

Instilling a mentality of "living a healthy life" should be the government's number one priority as by having a healthier nation we will have a lower health bill. The government should introduce an incentive (such as a tax rebate) to businesses that encourage their employees to become members of a gym or sports organisation.

PE lessons in schools should be held every day and must be well organised by qualified instructors.

Incentives such as extra paid leave should be given when any Maltese athlete takes leave to represent his/her country.

To conclude, I come back to the issue of swimming in Malta. As we only have one national swimming pool, the least we should do is to make sure it is open all year round and not closed during the winter months as our athletes cannot afford to miss out on the progress they would have made. Here I must congratulate the government as, finally, for the first time in many years, the pool has remained open during this winter. I hope this was not due to the fact that it was election year.

With regard to the success of Ryan Gambin, I also would like to congratulate him and wish him the best in the Olympic Games. This situation of having so-called imported athletes has happened in the past and will continue to happen in future. All we can do is make sure we do our best by providing the best facilities and, most importantly, the best coaches for local sports men and women. As to the athletes, they need to understand that in order to achieve success many sacrifices need to be made.