Malta has dispatched a large contingent of 59 athletes for the first European Games, one more than in the Iceland Games of the Small States of Europe which concluded last weekend.

Featuring a total of 6,000 athletes, the European Games get underway today in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

The Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) last month announced that its athletes will compete in seven sporting disciplines during the European Games, namely athletics, badminton, cycling, judo, shooting, triathlon and waterpolo.

Ben Plumpton, a member of the waterpolo squad, will carry the Maltese flag during today’s opening ceremony at the gleaming Olympic Stadium.

The events commence tomorrow with Danica Bonello Spiteri and Hannah Pace the first Maltese athletes to enter the fray when they compete in the women’s triathlon.

The Under-17 waterpolo team, led by head coach Karl Izzo, take on giants Spain in their opening group match tomorrow morning. The other nations in Malta’s pool are Serbia and Slovakia.

Maltese contingent

Athletics: L. Bezzina, N. Brimmer, A. Cassar Torregiani, R. Chouhal, M. Croker, R. Dimech, L. Dimech, A. Grech, I.P. Grech, M. Herrera, D. Mangion, M. Mifsud, B. Mifsud, J. Mifsud, K. Moore, L. Ransley, D. Saliba, C. Sheldon, S. Spiteri; C. Attard, L.M. Bezzina, F. Borg, S. Busuttil, M. Camilleri, G. Camilleri, R. Camilleri, A. Chouhal, R. Fitz, M. Grech, D. Micallef, Y. Pace, J. Richard, R. Sare, J. Vella and C. Wingfield.

Badminton: M.F. Sadowski, S. Cali.

Cycling: M. Vella Wood, M. Formosa.

Judo: M. Bezzina, I. Bezzina.

Shooting: E. Bezzina, N. Xuereb.

Triathlon: D. Bonello Spiteri, H. Pace, K. Galea.

Waterpolo: J. Abela, M. Azzopardi, F. Buhagiar, L. Calleja, D. Fenech, J. Galea, J. Gambin, M. Manara, K. Navarro, B. Plumpton, J. Sciberras, J. Tanti, D. Zammit.