Towards higher objectives

The 2011 Games of the Small States of Europe in Liechtenstein were a rewarding experience for Maltese sport as Team Malta produced its best-ever GSSE performance on foreign soil, winning 29 medals – eight gold, 12 silver and nine bronze.

I must admit that Malta’s success came as a pleasant surprise, given that, in the build-up to the Games, the overall impression was that our athletes may struggle to hold their own against strong opponents and thus our chances of winning a significant number of medals looked slim.

Such expectations proved off the mark as the 2011 LieGames turned out to be a fairytale story for the Maltese athletes who put on some impressive displays.

It is my wish that the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) officials do not rest on their laurels and increase financial assistance for those athletes who have the potential to become leading sports ambassadors for our country.

The squash selection, spearheaded by the brilliant Brad Hindle Deguara and Diane Desira, underlined their dominance at GSSE level when completing a clean sweep of honours.

Malta’s success in squash had been expected but that was not the case in other sports as many were sceptical about our chances in judo, swimming, beach volley and track and field events. In the end, these suggestions proved baseless as these disciplines also brought joy to Team Malta thanks to the emergence of a host of upcoming athletes.

Judokas Jeremy Saywell and Brent Law caught the eye with some outstanding displays in the individual competitions.

In swimming, the men’s team created history with the fast-improving Andrew Chetcuti yielding the country’s first ever medals in the men’s competitions while Nicola Muscat looks to be Malta’s brightest prospect among the girls.

In track and field, Diane Borg re-established herself as Malta’s leading sprinter after claiming the country’s first ever gold medals in the 4x100 relay and 200m. One cannot fail to mention 14-year-old Nicole Gatt who, despite her young age, showed a fearless attitude which earned her a bronze medal in the 400 metres race and gold in the 4x400 relay.

Borg and Gatt are just two of a growing list of promising runners who can lead the country to more GSSE success in the future.

My only concern in athletics is the lack of emerging long-distance athletes to succeed the likes of Lisa Marie Bezzina, winner of two silver medals, and Giselle Camilleri.

In my opinion, Athletics Malta must step up their efforts to groom promising long-distance runners for track competitions instead of focusing predominantly on road races as there is a big difference between preparing for marathons and track events.

Beach volleyball was a positive surprise in Liechtenstein as, before the Games few if anyone had entertained the idea that Alison Borg and Gertrude Zarb would remain in contention for a medal until the final day.Now that these players have demonstrated that our country can be competitive in this sport, it is the duty of the authorities to support their efforts to further raise their standards. A full-time coach and a court where they can practise along with the opportunity to play tournaments are basic things which would surely benefit our beachvolley girls.

Malta’s results in tennis, cycling and target shooting left a lot to be desired.

In tennis, one expected a lot more from Kim Cassar and Matthew Asciak who have gained a wealth of experience in these Games. Although they possess talent, the Maltese duo lacked mental resilience and that undermined them in crucial moments in Vaduz.

Elena Jetcheva and Nick Camilleri were excellent additions but I feel that we must increase the pool of tennis players in Malta to ensure that our leading performers remain on their toes and don’t take their place in the team for granted.

In cycling, the performances of our riders generally fell short of expectations and, given the strength of the other countries in this sport, I was somewhat surprised about Malta’s entry.

Etienne Bonello’s ninth place in the time-trial was one of the few positives for Maltese cycling but it’s clear that our riders need to compete more regularly in international races if they are to close the gap with other countries.

The lack of international exposure also hampered Malta’s chances in target shooting.

William Vella came agonisingly close to a bronze medal in air-rifle only to miss out after a tense shoot-off. Eleanor Bezzina, making her first appearance at these Games, seemed to be overawed by the occasion and her performance suffered as a result.

Unless our target shooters are afforded better training facilities, we will find it difficult to compete with other countries. The Malta Shooting Sport Federation should work harder to give its target shooters the same opportunities as those in clay shooting as the potential is there but more investment is needed.

The results in table tennis were also disappointing. Simon Gerada and Daniel Bajada offered glimpses of their talent but it was not enough for them to return home with more than a silver medal in the doubles.

In the girls’ tournament, Jessica Pace emerged as a bright prospect of Maltese table tennis. The 15-year-old was quite competitive... she must be given all the attention and support to maximise her potential.

As a concluding note, I hope that the MOC and the Kunsill Malti għall-iSport, the two major stakeholders in Maltese sport, will pool their resources and efforts to help local athletes reach a higher level.

These Games should serve as a launchpad for higher targets and it’s no secret that a medal at next year’s London Olympics could become reality if we seriously invest in our athletes.

After Andorra 2005, not much has changed with regards to the level of assistance for the athletes’ technical preparation.

Six years on, the prospects for Maltese sport look bright and I honeslty hope that we don’t miss the bus a second time. The authorities must do more to help our athletes fulfil their potential.