GSSE on top of MOC agenda for 2011

The Maltese Olympic Committee is focusing all its energies in 2011 to ensure a successful participation in the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) which will be held in Liechtenstein between May 30 and June 5.

Lino Farrugia Sacco, the MOC president, told the media yesterday that the week-long sports festival in Vaduz represented a big challenge for the local governing body of elite sport. He is confident, however, that Team Malta can improve on the achievements of the last editions of the Games.

“The GSSE will be the main appointment on the MOC schedule for 2011,” he said at the now traditional meeting with the media at the start of a new year.

“The Small Nations always attract huge following from the Maltese public as they give us the best opportunity to strike success on the international scene. Since the 1997 Games in Iceland, the number of medals won by our athletes have increased considerably and we have every intention of maintaining that progress this year.”

In Liechtenstein, the calendar of events consists of nine sport, namely, athletics, target shooting, swimming, volleyball (beach and indoor), cycling (road and mountain bike), table tennis, tennis, squash and judo.

The absence of clay shooting and sailing, traditionally the main source of medals for Team Malta, is a huge blow for the MOC’s aspirations, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco contended.

“The Liechtenstein organisers’ decision to omit clay shooting and sailing from the calendar will limit our threat,” he said.

“However, we still have high hopes of success as we shall field strong teams in other sport, hopefully finishing in a creditable placing in the medals table.”

In Liechtenstein, the number of countries participating in the GSSE will increase to nine as Montenegro are expected to make a first appearance following their inclusion in the small nations’ fold, a move approved in Cyprus two years ago.

The presence of the former Yugoslav republic will inevitably raise the standards of competition.

“Liechtenstein 2011 will be a big challenge for all nations, not Malta alone,” MOC Director of Sport Mark Cutajar said yesterday.

“We’ve already established the Minimum Qualifying Standards our athletes have to reach before Liechtenstein. No-one will be admitted in our team if they fail to reach the required qualifications.

“We are also monitoring the fitness of all athletes to avoid suffering the same spate of injuries that characterised our participation in Cyprus.

“At the moment the only ones requiring treatment are sprinters Charlene Attard and Diane Borg and judoka Marcon Bezzina.

“Things should get back to normal though in the next few weeks to start their full preparation.”

Meanwhile, the MOC said that government has allocated €248,500 in assistance to local federations and another €120,000 to the MOC ahead of the GSSE.

“These funds help but it’s still not enough to finance all our expenses in the build-up to this year’s GSSE,” Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said.

“Luckily, thanks to our foreign contacts, we have succeeded in attracting funds from various international bodies such as the European Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Solidarity among others.

“We are also looking to sign more sponsorship agreements in the coming weeks as we need more investment and finances to provide our athletes with the best technical preparation they can get.”

Apart from the GSSE, the MOC will also field teams in other international events this year.

Between May 24 and 29, Maltese athletes will compete in the COJI (Island Youth) Games in Palermo. Here, the country will be represented in tennis, sailing, gymnastics, table tennis, athletics and swimming.

In July (23-30), another group will take part in the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), in Trabzon, Turkey. The Commonwealth Youth Games, at Isle of Man, will be held between September 7 and 13 and Malta will be represented in gymnastics and swimming.

Meanwhile, at the end of yesterday’s meeting with the press, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco presented a memento to veteran journalist Manuel Gauci for his valid contribution to the sport throughout his career.

This year, Gauci retired after a career in sports journalism spanning over 41 years.

Key dates this year