As today Malta marks the 452nd anniversary from the 1565 Great Siege of Malta, Victory Day brings with it also the annual National Regatta, a tradition that although seemingly on the decline, still generates enthusiasm among the participating clubs and their followers.

During the regatta draws, organised by the Malta Rowing Association and SportMalta earlier this week, the association took the opportunity to appeal to all local sports’ followers to support this event and keep this tradition alive.

“I’m pleased to announce that for this year’s Victory Day regatta all teams will be represented in both category A and B,” Joseph N. Grima, president of the Malta Rowing Association, said.

“This is all thanks to the backing from SportMalta but it is also down to the commitment and effort injected by the local clubs in this discipline who year after year make it possible to organise such events.”

Professor Grima insisted on the values that this sport has within local society, as it is part of the Maltese identity.

“The Regatta is a competition which makes our harbour unique as it depicts it as a vivid port while it is also an attraction not only to a Maltese audience but also to tourists who have never experienced anything like it,” he affirmed.

The association’s president also highlighted the importance of the participants’ behaviour to tackle any irregularities which might occur during the competition, making reference to the Fair Play legislature that is being introduced by Dr Clifton Grima, the Parliamentary Secretary for Sport, who was also present for the draws.

‘’Finally, I would like to express my gratitude towards the University of Malta for backing this event for the first time and for providing the opportunity to students to move closer towards this discipline through their projects,’’ the Malta Rowing Association president said.

The favourites for this year’s Victory Day Regatta will be the usual suspects Cospicua, Marsa and Senglea.

Marsa won the previous three editions in Category A while Cospicua clinched the B category.

In a bid to retain the shield, Marsa will be represented by several experienced rowers; Elton Azzopardi, Clyde Debattista, Clifton Camilleri and Martin John Mifsud.

Cospicua are expected to have the edge for the shield this afternoon, having also claimed this year’s Freedom Day regatta after revamping their team of rowers.

Among the rowers for Cospicua, there will be a mix of experienced and also promising individuals such as Dennis Thornton, George Frendo, Clive Casha, William Mifsud, Kieran Zammit, Maximiliano Mamo, Romario Brignone and Jurgen Camilleri.

Meanwhile, their Cottonera foes, 23-time winners Senglea, have made sure to be competitive as they will deploy the likes of Lawrence Ciantar who will return to action after an absence of two years, Christian Camilleri, Redent Cassar and Nigel Sant. They will be flanked by a number of rowers who made a name for themselves in the U-18 category, including Kensley Ciantar and Ericsen Lia.

Vittoriosa have also brought in reinforcements in former Senglea duo Donald Gilford and Rhys Fiteni.

The Victory Day Regatta gets underway with the opening race at 1pm.

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