Malta to send 38-strong squad to Athens Games
Thirty-eight athletes, in six different sport, will represent Malta at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens between June 25 and July 4. The Maltese athletes will figure in athletics, aquatics, gymnastics, bowling, bocce and...
Thirty-eight athletes, in six different sport, will represent Malta at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens between June 25 and July 4.
The Maltese athletes will figure in athletics, aquatics, gymnastics, bowling, bocce and football.
The Games represent the highest level of sporting competition for Special Olympics athletes across the world.
In all, 7,500 participants from 185 countries will take part in the Athens Games which promise to be an important sporting highlight.
The Maltese athletes will be supported by a delegation of coaches, parents and helpers who will travel with the team to cheer them on as they compete in the historical home of the first modern-day Olympic Games.
The delegation will also include three Vodafone employees, Desiree Bone, Alistair Vella Stiles and Roberta Pace, who will be offering their time and assistance on a voluntary basis.
Special Olympics Malta director Anna Calleja said the team is geared up for the occasion.
“I am so proud of each and every one of our athletes who have been training hard to make our country proud.
“They have all shown great motivation, discipline and tremendous skill. The fact that they have gone this far is already worthy of celebration,” Calleja said.
“I would like to thank Parliamentary Secretary Clyde Puli for his continuous support and our main sponsor Vodafone Malta Foundation as well as Kunsill Malti għall-iSport, Megaline, Good Causes Fund and Voices Foundation. They have all spurred us to aim for higher targets as an organisation.”
It was announced this week that Special Olympics Malta will be adopting the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes scheme. This non-sport programme, to be launched during the World Games, is designed to help athletes improve their health, fitness and well-being.
Athletes receive a variety of health services conducted at Special Olympics competitions, while health care professionals learn about the health needs of Special Olympics athletes and participate by volunteering their skills.
Four Maltese specialists will be travelling to Athens with the delegation to undergo the necessary training as voluntary clinical directors of the programme.
Orthoptist Martin Francalanza, speech therapist, audiologist and CAPD specialist Nadine Calleja, nutritionist and physical activity trainer Lara Gerada and podiatrist and tissue viability specialist Omar Schembri will be joining 1,500 clinical directors from around the world and will assist in screening 7,500 athletes competing in the World Games.