Most of this country’s major sports organisations have been in existence for decades with the Malta Olympic Committee officially coming to life in 1928 and the Malta Football Association celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2000.
Maltese athletes figure regularly in international events, individually or as a team, and their participation in different disciplines at various levels has been constant and very regular, particularly since the turn of the new millennium.
However, despite investment along the years, success has been scant bar a few exceptions, when hopes usually go sky-high but are soon dashed mainly due to inconsistency.
Watching Iceland play in the Euro 2016 was a great inspiration for all, especially small countries like Malta. The Nordic underdogs started with modest aspirations but the players’ motivation was incredibly high and they worked their way up.
Determination, motivation and inspiration can contribute significantly to attain success, even when all the odds are against you, as was the case with Iceland. But if there are problems on the field/pitch, the situation gets even worse off-field.
Anna Mallia’s Talking Point (July 9) is a case in point. She discussed the qualifying criteria for the Olympic Games and, even if her contribution was probably based on information supplied by sources with an axe to grind, the points she raises still deserve attention. More importantly, the relevant authorities/entities should publicly put the record straight. Engaging in unnecessary controversy will, of course, do no good but neither will an attitude perceived as preferring to have a ‘closed shop’.
Sport will never flourish if genuine complaints, even if coming from biased quarters, are not entertained, thus leading to unbridled bickering and unfounded suspicions. In Malta, this has been happening for far too long, hindering progress and forcing promising athletes and dedicated administrators to retire early from their favourite sport.
Athletes must get all the backing they need to compete strongly. They must also have their mind at rest that their sacrifices would enable them to participate via true competition and not through wild card entries. To guarantee that, administrators must give their full share too and dedicate their whole time to Maltese sport rather than consider it a ‘part-time’ job because they are immersed in work with some international sporting body.
Outright qualification is not unprecedented: Tanya Blake (athletics – Athens 2004) and William Chetcuti (shooting – London 2012) both represented Malta at the Summer Games on their own merits. The young shooter went on to become a main player in international Double Trap events even going close to reaching the finals in the Olympics on more than one occasion.
Lately, we also had the revival of the waterpolo national team but the trend was not maintained in other disciplines and the only few other stories of ‘success’ came in the less important Mediterranean Games or the low-key Games of the Small States of Europe.
What International Olympic Committee founder Pierre de Coubertin once said is food for thought for all, athletes or administrators, sports lovers or not, citizens or politicians: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”
The keywords here are “fighting well” and “taking part” and that depends on preparation. If we are not to continue slipping behind in most disciplines even compared to ‘small nations’ peers, all stakeholders must form one squad: Team Malta.