Preparations for the upcoming 2011 Games of the Small States of Europe entered a final phase yesterday when the Maltese Olympic Committee confirmed that Team Malta will be composed of 61 athletes and that squash player Brad Hindle Deguara will be carrying the country’s flag at the opening ceremony in Vaduz, on May 30.

In Liechtenstein, Malta will compete in nine sport, namely, athletics, target shooting, tennis, swimming, squash, table tennis, cycling, beach volley and judo.

Among the most prominent names in the MOC list of athletes are former GSSE gold medallists Dave Millar (cycling), Diane Desira and Mike Fiteni (squash) and Simon Gerada (table tennis).

Mark Cutajar, the chef-de-mission in Liechtenstein, told reporters at Tal-Qroqq that the majority of those selected had reached the MQSs established by the MOC.

“We are now a few days away from the start of the GSSE. In Liechtenstein, all the work carried out by our staff and those from the national associations will be put to test. Hopefully, our efforts will reap positive results,” he said.

“After Cyprus 2009 we had made it clear that only those who surpass the benchmarks established would make the trip to Liechtenstein and today I can say that the MOC has kept its word.”

Cutajar added that contrary to what had happened in the run-up to Cyprus, this time Team Malta is a fully-fit squad with the only major absentee being sprinter Nikolai Portelli, winner of two silvers and a bronze in Nicosia.

“In 2009, our squad was ravaged by injuries and we had to patch up a team to compete in those Games,” Cutajar said.

“This time things are different as thanks to the excellent work carried out by our medical experts we had few injuries to deal with and that gave us a chance to prepare better for competition.

“Nikolai Portelli will be our only major absentee. I’m sure he would have made it had he had a few more weeks to recover.”

Cutajar admitted competition will be tough in Liechtenstein.

“It will not be easy to get the results we want as the others’ decision to include a limitless num-ber of foreigners inevitably raised the bar in all events,” Cutajar said.

“Also, clay shooting, sailing and women’s basketball, three sport where Malta won gold in 2009, are not included in the programme this time.”

Meanwhile, in beach volley Malta will compete in the women’s tournament only with Alison Borg and Gertrude Zarb being our players.

William Vella, a silver medallist in air-rifle in Cyprus, will again be in action in his favoured discipline. He will also compete in the Prone event.

In track and field, veterans Mario Bonello and Carol Walsh were not in the selection this time while Kevin Arthur Moore and Owen Camilleri are the new faces in the team.

Marcon Bezzina and Joanne Camilleri, two established GSSE veterans, will again compete in judo events.

In swimming, Malta will field one of its biggest teams for many a year as nine swimmers made the cut after breaking past the MQS marks.

Squash, again, looks like being our strongest point in the Games with five foreign-based players in the team – Hindle Deguara, Michael Fiteni, Darren Zammit Lewis, Diane Desira and Joseph Desira.

In tennis, Elena Jetcheva and Kim Cassar will play in women’s events while Nick Camilleri will flank Matthew Asciak in men’s competitions.

Vaduz ceremony

MOC president Lino Farrugia Sacco yesterday announced that Hindle Deguara will be Malta’s flag-bearer during the opening cere-mony at the Rheinpark Stadium in Vaduz.

“Brad will carry Malta’s flag during the opening ceremony,” Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said.

“We unanimously agreed that he is the right person to get the honour to lead our team as each time he represented the country before his behaviour was professional and exemplary for all those around him.”

The MOC president added that the influx of foreign athletes in the Games was unacceptable and he reiterated his intentions of continuing his fight against the increasing number of ‘adopted’ athletes in the Games.

“The GSSE could fast lose their identity due to the high number of foreign athletes the other countries are fielding,” Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said.

“I cannot fathom how a country like Cyprus, where the population is much bigger compared to other GSSE nations, will have a con-siderable number of foreigners in its contingent.”

Meanwhile, MOC general sec-retary Joe Cassar yesterday an-nounced that Malta will be com-peting at the COJI Games.

The Island Games will be held in Sicily between May 23 and 29.

Malta will compete with a con-tingent of 80 athletes.

The athletes

Athletics
C. Attard, L.M. Bezzina, D. Borg, N. Brimmer, R. Camilleri, O. Camilleri, G. Camilleri, R. Chouhal, J. D’Alfonso, K. Farrugia, N. Gatt, A. Grech, M. Herrera, K.A. Moore, C. Pace, A. Pace, M. Xuereb, F. Xuereb.

Cycling
E. Bonello, M. Formosa, D. Galea, D. Millar, J. Vella.

Judo
M. Bezzina, J. Camilleri, B. Law, J. Saywell.

Target shooting
W. Vella, E. Bezzina, M. Kisvardai.

Swimming
A. Agius, N. Agius, E. Caruana Dingli, A. Chetcuti, D. Mangion, M.S. Micallef, N. Muscat, T. Pace, M. Sammut.

Squash
C. Camilleri, J. Desira, N. Dunkerley, M. Fiteni, B. H. Deguara, M. Lupi, D. Z. Lewis, T. Brousson, D. Desira, A. Munroe, J. Rizzo, C. Sultana.

Table tennis
D. Bajada, S. Gerada, L. Peng Fei, J. Pace.

Tennis
M. Axiaq, N. Camilleri, K. Cassar, E. Jetcheva.

Beach volley
A. Borg, G. Zarb.

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