Sean is a budding 16-year-old athlete. His physique, shaped by years of solid training, belies his age. Lately, he dropped out from school and ventured into full-time employment.

He was never too keen on studying and pleas from family members and friends to continue post-secondary education fell on deaf ears.

With no formal qualifications under his belt, Sean had very little options to consider. He eventually found a job in the manufacturing industry, working on a shift basis.

For the past four years, Sean has put his heart and soul in an individual sport. He trains hard and follows a strict diet. He never misses a training session.

Notwithstanding his tender age, Sean has been a member of the national team for the past two years and even managed a string of promising results in international competitions.

His routine has now been put into check by his working schedule. Since he works on shift basis, Sean has to miss some afternoon training sessions as he cannot afford to quit his job.

His vacation leave is meticulously planned to enable him to participate in international competitions away from our shores since his employers do not allow any special paid leave for athletes who represent Malta in sporting ventures.

Sean somehow needs to strike a balance between his work schedule and training programme. Good will and flexibility may not be enough to address the problem.

Sean is willing to train in the morning, but his coach is not around. In Malta, very few federations can afford the services of a full-time qualified coach who is available round the clock.

Sean is not alone. There are many other athletes who find themselves in similar situations. Many promising athletes have called it quits simply because they could not cope with working on a full-time basis and concentrating on their sport.

At elite level, a sporting discipline becomes extremely demanding. Daily training is a must and some federations only have access to training venues at particular times during the day. This compounds the situation even further.

Many proposals have been put forward to facilitate things for elite athletes gunning to compete in important competitions such as the Olympic, Commonwealth or Mediterranean Games.

Some time ago, there was a call for a group of such athletes to be employed at sports venues around the island.

Athletes who attach great importance to their academic studies may be reluctant to put their career on hold to excel in a sporting discipline.

However, athletes like Sean can surely benefit if they are given some sort of full-time flexible employment that allows them to dedicate a healthy amount of hours to their sport.

Few athletes in Malta can afford to train on a full-time basis and to my knowledge, the only athlete who has managed to do so in recent years is Dermot Galea in triathlon.

Malta is being deprived of its sporting stars at a crucial moment. Youngsters who have matured into promising athletes walk away from the sport when they are about to start reaping dividends.

Some of you may rightly argue that the picture is not that bleak as many federations have a good number of upcoming athletes in their ranks. Yet, I know of many federations who have lost their best talent.

The finance factor also plays an important role as to whether athletes continue to practise their sport or not. Engaging in some sporting disciplines can be very expensive and some athletes may not be in a financial position to pay for equipment and training sessions.

To make matters worse, many athletes often dig deep into their pockets to fund the costs of participating in an international competition, including paying exorbitant air fares particularly during the summer months.

The system cannot sustain itself much longer. More youngsters like Sean will opt for a secure full-time employment and turn their backs on professional training. And forget about the old saying - where there is a will, there is a way. There is a limit to how much our youngsters can endure.

Changing the approach

The Malta Olympic Committee is doing its utmost to help federations through the distribution of funds which have to be invested in elite athletes. But with a restricted budget, there is a limit to the amount that can be handed out each year.

Rather than blaming athletes for choosing the easy way out, we should point fingers at the present system and strive to change the approach.

The chief goal must be to provide elite athletes with a conducive environment that nurtures champions.