Maltese Olympic Committee president Julian Pace Bonello said earlier this month the money allocated by the government to the local governing body for elite sport would put them on a steady platform when planning athletes’ schedules and preparation for the next four years.

The grant for the next quadrennial amounts to €2.5 million, a sum the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport, Chris Agius, described as “historic”.

He said the deal consisted of the best package the government had ever granted to sport. That may indeed be the case but many would rightly say that the funds allocated could have been much higher, especially in view of certain ‘generous’ handouts to less deserving causes.

True, one must acknowledge that financial assistance – albeit much smaller – is regularly extended to the national Olympic set-up and its member associations depending on the extent of their sporting commitments. It is also true that this latest grant is significant. Still, there is no doubt that to aim for higher levels and objectives in sport, adequate and regular financial support is essential.

Sports lovers would argue that, at time, not to say often, sport is not given due importance in the country. Yet, all agree that this sector remains crucial and fundamental in the upbringing of youth and the development of promising talent.

With hand on heart, one must admit that the Malta Olympic Committee is in no position to go for ambitious projects. Take the Games of the Small States of Europe, which the committee is vying to host in 2023. That is a costly venture but the biggest expense is likely to be in the proper preparation of athletes than in the logistical and infrastructural aspects. A sound capital outlay would have to be allocated for the latter two items but the technical preparation of the sportsmen demands robust recurring expenditures.

The best the Maltese Olympic Committee can hope for is to see the country’s showing in this year’s GSSE in San Marino improve over that of two years ago and that the progress is maintained ahead of the next games in 2019 in Montenegro.

Maltese athletes returned home from the Iceland 2015 GSSE with one of their worst-ever results following a below average performance in most of the disciplines contested. Not to mention the lacklustre showings by Team Malta at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last year.

Mr Agius made it sound as if the “historic” aid was enough for the Maltese Olympic Committee to run all technical programmes without a loss besides ensuring that athletes are top quality. However, all must be wary of euphoria because reality paints a completely different picture.

Just look at what prominent associations, like Athletics Malta, the Aquatic Sports of Malta or the Malta Shooting Sport Federation, would need over the next four years to assemble a strong squad and, perhaps, see one of their athletes make it to the finals of a major competition. It would suffice to start realising the sort of financial demands there are. There is no doubt the bill would tot up to well beyond the “historic” €2.5 million.

Bottom line is that, compared to other European countries in our category, the budget allocated to sport is, at best, inadequate.

Having said that, the grant is more than welcome. But the Maltese Olympic Committee must look beyond. It has no option but to seek other revenue streams and sponsorship deals to boost funding. That would truly be a historic achievement.

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