With just one year of competitive swimming, Matthew Sultana has managed to win three age-group medals at a recent International Swim Meet in Berlin to secure a berth at next month’s London Paralympic Games.
Sultana has been classified under an S10 disability, namely a system which allows people with different physical abilities to compete alongside one another in the same event. His classification will be reviewed again just before the Games.
The Paralympic Games are extremely competitive and it takes some excellent performances to qualify. Malta has been awarded one wild card in swimming and this has allowed the national paralympic committee to send the best athlete to compete.
“Sultana’s results are not far from the qualifying times and he is continuously improving,” Nathan Farrugia, president of the Malta Paralympic Committee (MPC) said in a statement.
“He trains under coach Ebi Mohammadpour at Inspire and has been invited to train with the non-disabled national swimming coach to enhance his potential at the Games.”
Another athlete with creditable performances and who also achieved the minimum qualifying standards is marathon runner Darren Fenech.
Unfortunately, the high level of competition at these Games has resulted in a limited number of participants being selected, with only sub 3hr marathon times being considered. Despite this setback, Fenech continues to train with commitment.
The MPC has been set up recently with a promising number of national sports associations joining. The aim of the MPC is to promote paralympic sports and other associated disciplines among youngsters with physical disability, through the respective sports associations, with NGOs like Inspire supporting the coaches on adaptations and providing equipment.
A number of sport associations have committed themselves to organising exhibition events and tournaments to allow people to try the various sports over the coming months. The MPC is encouraging the public to participate in these events.
Interested participants can contact the Kunsill Malti għall-iSport (KMS).
V.J. Salomone Marketing Ltd have also supported the movement by sponsoring a number of hand cycles to encourage the uptake of the sport.