The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), this year marking a centenary since its inception, designated a date in May to celebrate its own day.

In actual fact, the IAAF decided that a weekend would better serve the purpose and, additionally, encouraged its members to organise events for schoolchildren during the same period.

The 17th World Athletics Day celebrated on the 12 and 13 of this month, was commemorated in Malta with events for students hailing from different educational establishments.

Athletics Malta held competitive events for 267 boys and girls from 20 junior secondary schools on May 3 and 24 hours later, another 187 children from 18 schools.

Besides medals and the team shields awarded by the association, the IAAF supplied wrist bands, T-shirts, certificates and specially-designed posters that were distributed to participating schools and event winners.

In the junior girls’ schools competition, St Dorothy’s etched their name on the Shield for the first time, emerging triumphant over St Monica Birkirkara.

St Monica made amends the following day by winning handsomely the Dorotheans with San Anton taking third place on both occasions. By virtue of their winning the last event of the day over closest rivals Stella Maris, who only managed fourth place to finish three points adrift, St Aloysius confirmed once more their superiority at these events.

This was a follow-up of the previous day when the Jesuit-educated boys had also carried away the honours. This was the third year running that the college had been on top on both days.

Kulleġġ Sta Venera Boys were second juniors with San Anton again finishing third on both days.

On the actual days when the World Athletics Day was commemorated, which were also the days of the National Champ-ionships, all athletes born in 1995 and 1996 were also given mementoes, with winners receiving prizes as in the case of the events organised for schoolchildren.