The Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) plan to send a token contingent for this year’s London Olympic Games, president Lino Farrugia Sacco revealed yesterday.
Speaking at the annual media breakfast, during which the MOC lays out its plans for the new year, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said that Team Malta is likely to comprise six athletes in London 2012 but cautioned that it is still premature to specify the exact size of the Maltese squad.
“The MOC is keeping a close eye on the progress of a number of athletes who are benefiting from an IOC scholarship and aspiring for a place in London,” the MOC head said.
“William Chetcuti (double trap shooter) has already secured qualification while we also have the opportunity to field two athletes in both track and field events and swimming through the concept of universality.
“There could also be another athlete, possibly two, who could get the chance to compete in the Games but in all probability, we will have a team of six athletes.”
The London Olympics are the most important appointment on the MOC calendar for 2012 with Chetcuti representing Malta’s best hope of a historic medal in the biggest sporting event on the international stage, to be held between July 27 and August 12.
Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco yesterday revealed that the Kunsill Malti għall-iSport (KMS) has given the MOC €50,000 to support the athletes’ preparations for the Games.
“Besides, we are also planning a number of pre-Olympic training camps in shooting, swimming, athletics, judo and possibly sailing in Surrey as we want to ensure that our athletes have the best preparation ahead of the Games,” the MOC head added.
Turning his sights away from the London Olympics, the MOC president yesterday said that the KMS was expected to allocate €248,500 in technical support to the federations and a grant of €5,000 for administrative purposes.
Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said that, in the coming months, the MOC will start to plan for next year’s main sporting events for Maltese athletes, namely the 2013 Luxembourg GSSE and the Mediterranean Games, to be staged in Mersin, Turkey.
“Our success in the Liechtenstein GSSE is still fresh in our minds,” the MOC head said.
“Team Malta achieved its best ever result away from home and in an edition that did not feature our strongest sport, namely women’s basketball, clay shooting and sailing.
“The performance in Liechtenstein lifted our country to fifth place in the overall GSSE medal standings from all editions and we intend to maintain that position after the Luxembourg Games.”
The MOC president announced that all the medal winners in Liechtenstein were awarded bonuses for their feats.
Gold medal winners in individual events received €1,200 while those in the relay events took €350.
The members of the men’s and women’s squash teams got €400 each.
Bonuses were also handed to those who won a silver medal – €600 for individual events, €300 for doubles and €200 for relay races.
Bronze medallists in individual events pocketed €300 while those who placed third in the doubles category received €200.
Over the next few months, the MOC also plans to set up a Maltese Olympic Sports Tribunal aimed at facilitating the settlement of sports disputes in our country through arbitration or mediation by means of procedural rules adapted to reflect the needs of today’s sport.
Another initiative is the creation of an Olympic Museum which the MOC hope will become an attraction for school children and will also be open for the general public. Meanwhile, at the end of yesterday’s media breakfast, the MOC honoured veteran sports journalist Simon Bonello for his contribution to Maltese sport.