Everybody – the Malta Olympic Committee, the federations and the athletes – had to make several sacrifices for Malta to be able to send a strong contingent to the Andorra Games for European Small States starting next week.
Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) president Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco said it was essential that common sense prevailed after the dispute that arose between his Committee and the Maltese Council for Sport, early this year. “The agreement reached made it possible for all of us to make it to Andorra, but not without sacrifices. In fact, we are not 100 per cent happy with the financial position. It is certainly not enough to reach the aims of the MOC this year. But considering the overall situation and financial constraints of the country, we appreciate that we also had to revise our position and make some sacrifices to be able to take part,” he said.
The MOC president reiterated that Malta was not sending one of its smallest contingents in recent years for these Games because of lack of funds. “That is not true. In fact, all athletes who have obtained the Minimum Qualifying Standards (MQSs) have all been included in the contingent. The dispute earlier this year certainly left an impact on the athletes. They started their preparations later than scheduled because of the uncertainty. But we should not consider this as an excuse, because we believe they have had more than enough chance to prove themselves in Andorra and that their selection was justified,” he added.
Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco insisted that the return of Pippo Psaila to the fold after an 18-month absence was important for the MOC. “He is the real driving force although most of the directors at the MOC work hard, some perhaps more than others. But it is a fact that we have recouped some lost time thanks to Psaila,” added the MOC president.
He went on to say that his committee last year concentrated mainly on two things, the Olympic Games in Athens and the elections in November which saw a number of positions changing and new faces joining the Executive Committee. “Pippo Psaila’s return has been very positive. I have full trust in him although we do not agree on everything. But for the athletes, he is a real motivator, the true driving force.”
Commenting about the Directors on his Executive Committee, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said that the MOC was working on the right track, though not as well as he wished. He added: “There are some Directors who work hard, others who go through their work satisfactorily, but there are a few from whom I expected more. However, the way the Committee has been re-structured, it is obvious that it is being run smoothly. Relations with government have calmed down and although the federations are not happy with the MOC-KMS agreement, they also have their own programmes which they embarked upon early in the year.
The MOC president said at Andorra we will have to show that our athletes are not inferior to the others. “We have now drawn a new line and we have started thinking in a different way. We have given all possible elements to our athletes to get the best preparation, and that includes facilities, coaching and, in most cases, some professionalism among the federations, especially through the importantion of foreign coaches. The road to improvement started way back in Iceland in 1997, that is, when government started increasing the funds for sport. It was the basis for the success which led to the best result ever in the Games away from home in San Marino and that of two years ago in Malta which was, by far, the best result overall.
“Now we are aiming at higher levels. We are not going there just to participate, but more importantly, to compete. And we hope that in the very near future we will also have our fair share of success at the Olympics after our successes in the Commonwealth and Mediterranean Games. Of course, we will not abandon the Small Nations Games, but we will not be taking any athlete there just to obtain some experience or to register a personal best or to establish a national record. Gone are those days. We appreciate that not everyone will be able to win, but we will also consider a fourth or a fifth place as a good result, according to the performance. We have been selective in the choice of the athletes and we have concentrated only on those who have obtained the MQSs. Those who failed to obtain them had to be left behind. This does not mean they are out of our thoughts. Their chance will probably come again later on in their career, but I assure them they were not left out for financial reasons,” he said.
The MOC president added that the MOC had put aside some funds to also give the athletes the chance to acclimatise themselves with the high altitude conditions to be found in Andorra. “We have sent some of the athletes throughout the past week and we are convinced that they will peak at the right time and moment.
Commenting about targets for these Games, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said: “We wish to do well and we are convinced we will obtain another good result overall in Andorra. I do not want, in any way, to put pressure on the athletes. It is difficult to make a forecast, but I would say definitely not better than in Malta due to the various factors of these Games which are now probably known to all – sailing and squash in which we were highly successful two years ago not being held and Malta not taking part in volleyball, beach volley and mountain biking.”
He also said that the federations were always requesting more funds from the Malta Olympic Committee to meet their needs. “Some of them are justified, but others are not. But we had to draw a line because we wanted to make sure that the amount being spent would not exceed the budget for these Games,” he added.
He went on to say that these Andorra Games are a sort of test for the athletes who will be representing Malta in the Mediterranean Games in Almeria, a month or so later. “Öf course, this does not apply for golf, football and wrestling as these will not be in Andorra. But for all the others, it will be a good test. They are all aware that we are aiming to reach higher and their goal will be that of reaching the podium,” he said.
Asked whether there will be a bonus for medal winning athletes at the Andorra Games, the MOC president said: “This time, there will be no bonus, unless a sponsor is found to pay the amount required. In the Malta Games, gold medal winners (individual) were paid Lm700, silver medallists got Lm375 and bronze medallists Lm225. In the team events, it was Lm325, Lm190 and Lm125, while in the doubles the winners got Lm350, Lm210 and Lm150 each respectively. In Malta the amount paid in bonuses reached the record sum of around Lm24,000. This time we have no funds available and the athletes have been made aware of this, even though if there had to be a bonus this year, the amount will be less than that paid in Malta. Let us not forget that due to the circumstances prevailing, we got Lm50,000 fewer from the government this year and another Lm40,000 fewer last year.
He concluded: “The biggest bonus for the athletes in Andorra and all of us will be that of seeing our athletes on the podium, and hearing the national anthem played while the national flag is hoisted on the respective mast. I wish good luck to all our athletes. We know that luck favours the brave, and I am convinced that the Maltese athletes are brave enough to win.”