EOC backing MOC cause

Lino Farrugia Sacco, the MOC president, yesterday announced that the European Olympic Committee and the Mediterranean Games International Committee had pledged to increase their assistance to local sport.

Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said that after a series of talks with the EOC president Patrick Hickey and Ammar Addadi, the head of the Med. Games International Committee, Maltese sport is now set to benefit from various incentives including scholarships.

"The EOC and the Med. Games International Committee knew we were putting in all our effort to succeed in Cyprus and that, perhaps, also convinced them to sustain their backing to our sport," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said.

Among the new incentives will be scholarships and training programmes that will give Malta's brightest prospects the chance to hone skills in a more professional set-up abroad.

"We need this kind of initiatives," the MOC president said.

"When you compare our budget with that of other GSSE countries you will realise that we are miles behind.

"Liechtenstein and San Marino benefit from annual budgets exceeding one million euros. Here, we only receive an average of €300,000 a year."

Asked whether any bonuses will be distributed to our medal winners in Cyprus, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said there will be no special pay-outs this time as no funds were allocated for this purpose.

In reaction to this, the Kunsill Malti għall-Isport issued a statement and said the 2008 budget allocated for Maltese Olympic sport was more than €2.5 million and not €300,000.

From that budget, the KMS said €362,000 alone went directly to the MOC and another €386,000 to local Olympic sport organisations.

Moreover, the KMS also invested €1.2m in its facilities which the Olympic Movement avails itself of.

It was difficult for the KMS to understand, the statement added, why Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco had failed to mention the 20/20 Sport Training Scheme in his analysis.

The scheme, for government employees, was introduced this year and seven GSSE 2009 medals, including William Chetcuti's gold, came from athletes who benefit from this incentive.

Meanwhile, the MOC said they are seeking advice from the EOC regarding the foreign athletes rule in the GSSE.

"Iceland and Malta are the only two nations with a limited number of foreign athletes. The other six are packed with foreigners," the MOC head said.

"This has to stop. For most of us, the table tennis tournament looked more like an Asian championship than the GSSE. Luxembourg, who protested on the eligibility of our foreign players, fielded two Asians themselves.

"The EOC has already been asked to intervene. I hope something will be done as soon as possible."

Med. Games

Contrary to what many had expected yesterday, the MOC did not announced its team for the Mediterranean Games in Pescara between June 26 and July 5.

Instead, the MOC revealed the sport in which our athletes will be taking part. Surprisingly, the list included canoeing for the first time.

The other sport are football (men), basketball (women), sailing, athletics, shooting, wrestling and tennis.