The Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) recently hosted a media breakfast where it announced its plans and objectives for 2007. The MOC as the authority for elite sport in Malta and representative of the Olympic Movement will have a busy agenda.
The past records and success of the MOC through specific preparations programmes for elite sport and in particular for games that fall under the auspices of the MOC have shown that the MOC is on the right track. Athletes start training well in advance and this applies to preparations for the forthcoming Games of the Small States of Europe which will be held in Monaco from 4–9 June this year.
At the media breakfast, the MOC President Mr Justice Lino Farrugia revealed the plans for the MOC and gave details in relation to the GSSE Monaco Games; it is expected that 60 athletes will represent Malta at these games.
The sports disciplines offered by the Monaco Games are athletics, bocci, basketball, gymnastics, judo, sailing, swimming, shooting, table tennis, tennis, volleyball and beach volley. The Maltese contingent which will consist of at least 90 members will be utilising chartered services following an agreement reached with its sponsor Air Malta; this charter will be in operation from 3 to 10 June.
The MOC President announced that a grant of $100,000 has been allocated for the period 2007-2010 for monitoring and preparation of athletes targeting the next edition of the Commonwealth Games which is scheduled to take place in Delhi, India in 2010.
He revealed the sports disciplines being considered, namely archery, athletics, cycling, gymnastics, lawn bowls, rugby, squash, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. India will also host the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2008. The MOC expects to send representation to these games possibly from the following disciplines: athletics, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.
Monitoring and preparation of athletes throughout 2007 will also be taking place in relation to the next edition of the Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy which will take place from 26 June to 5 July 2009.
At the end of 2007, the International Mediterr-anean Games Committee will be taking a decision regarding where the games for 2013 will be hosted. Candidate cities being considered for these games are Mersin, Turkey, Rijeka, Croatia and Volos, Larisa in Greece.
2007 will also be an important year for preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 with the possible participation in athletics, cycling, judo, swimming, shooting and sailing. Currently the MOC has three IOC Athlete Scholarships holders namely Diane Borg (athletics), Marcon Bezzina (judo) and William Chetcuti (shooting) who are all trying to qualify for these games. It was also announced that the London 2012 Olympic Games organisers have offered a financial grant for pre-games training camps in the UK for these games where applicant NOCs can expect to receive up to £26,000 towards costs for preparing athletes in approved UK training camps.
Young athletes representing Malta are not excluded and are to be selected for the next edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival in Belgrade which will take place from 21 to 28 July 2007.
These are very high-level games and MQSs had to be issued yesterday. Possible sports disciplines being considered are athletics, gymnastics, judo, tennis and swimming. 2007 will be the year for the next COJI Island Games in May. Maltese representation is being considered in athletics, gymnastics, judo, sailing, swimming, table tennis and tennis.
Preparing and sending representation to the games under the auspices of the MOC requires substantial funding; in addition, the MOC provides and distributes technical assistance and grants received from the government and KMS according to strict criteria. Grants are based on strength, popularity, games programme during the year, previous results, expenses involved in particular sports, grants from abroad relating to sport in caption (IOC, Commonwealth, etc), level reached by athlete forming part of federation (whether local champion, European championship, world championship, amateur or open). Funds are also released specifically for projects that have been approved in advance.
Federations also have to submit written reports which are examined by the MOC to verify that these conform to the dictates of the contract. The MOC does not generally give grants for doping examinations, nor for sending officials abroad, nor for the organisation of local tournaments.
The MOC announced at this event that an agreement had been reached with the Malta Sports Council and the MOC will be receiving Lm155,000 in funds for 2007 – Lm35,000 more than 2006; in addition, 100 gym memberships at the gym facilities at the National Swimming Pool under the management of the sports council. Discussions with the Malta Sports Council are also under way regarding a specific protocol to be established between both bodies.
The MOC also receives grants from the International Olympic Committee and the European Olympic Committee; the MOC provides grants to federations namely for coaching, training camps, sparring partners, equipment and international equipment.
The MOC realises the importance of spreading the word of the Olympic Movement and raising the profile of local sport; accordingly the MOC is co-producing a dedicated TV programme produced in collaboration with Education 22 – MIA Olympic Special.
This programme was initiated in October 2006 and will continue for a further six months from January to June 2007. This programme highlights the MOC activities and federation events in a half-hour weekly programme shown also on TVM every Thursday at 5pm; this programme has been made possible with the support of the Olympic Solidarity and the Malta International Airport.
The MOC will continue to work with The Malta Independent with this weekly double page continuing up to 2008. This page provides a voice for the MOC, exposure to athletes and federations and material on the Olympic Movement.
Projects for 2007 will herald the opening of the MOC Sports Museum which will house an Olympic museum, a sports library and premises for the Hall of Fame. The museum will be open two to three mornings a week for schoolchildren.
A new project in collaboration with the government is also under way for the setting up of an adventure park which will have an area from 80,000 to 100,000 square metres. The Ministry for the Environment will be responsible for all the environmental implications of the park, e.g. tree-planting, fencing, workmanship to install all poles, equipment, etc.
The project will entail rock formations, low rope course, co-ordination equipment, high rope course and a climbing tower. It is projected that the funds required for this will cost in the region of Lm63,000. Funding is also expected to be obtained from IOC funds dedicated to Sports for All programmes.
Architect Dion Buhagiar has produced the first plans which will consist of seven satellite areas of adventure; the possibility of a large area for structured sports is also being considered. The MOC President went on to say that this project is an important step for the MOC which can serve as a contribution to Maltese society to get more people interested in sports events.
Activities for 2007 will include the annual Olympic Day Run which celebrates the anniversary of the Olympic Movement, on 23 June; a business breakfast on 25 January organised in collaboration with the Malta Business Weekly and hosted at the Le Meridian Phoenicia Hotel, Floriana; the much awaited MOC Sports Awards 2007 and possibly a number of seminars.
The MOC is a non-profit voluntary organisation responsible for all aspects of Malta’s involvement in the Olympic Movement and representation at games at elite level, namely the Games of the Small States of Europe, Mediterranean Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games. In addition, the MOC manages a number of specific programmes including a dedicated Athlete’s Support Programme.
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Association News: Malta Cycling Federation
The Malta Cycling Federation is gearing up for another eventful racing season. The racing programme will feature both road and mountain bike competitions.
Mountain biking will start as early as this Sunday at Mizieb. This will be organised by the Malta Mountain Bike Association being an MCF affiliate.
The Mizieb race will be the first round of the Cross Country National Points Series (NPS). There will be six NPS races spreading from January to May. The NPS is also considered as the national MTB league and in each race, every rider collects points with the best five results being considered for the overall title. The national championship is contested on a single race in June.
Mountain biking was introduced as an Olympic sport for the first time in Atlanta 1996 and has been included in the Olympic programme ever since. Further information on the local mountain biking competition scene is available at www
.maltamountainbike.com.
Road racing takes centre stage on 4 February with the classic season opener Qormi to Dingli Individual Time Trial.
This race is an ideal opportunity for the athletes to test their pre-season preparation as they fine-tune their training schedules for the more important races later on in the season. Time trials are interesting to watch as riders start at one minute intervals to try to cover the course distance as fast as they possible can.
Special bikes and equipment are used to provide the best aerodynamic position to slice through the air with as little drag as possible. It is also known as “the race of truth” as riders race against the clock leaving no room for rest in this maximal effort.
Maltese cyclists have excelled in this cycling discipline in various international competitions in the last few years with two GSSE medals, two time trial wins at the tour of Malta and national records at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
The first part of the road calendar will feature races organised by the various local clubs which will be a good warm-up for the return of the Tour of Malta from 12-15 April.
The tour has been very much welcomed by the local clubs as well as by the 15 foreign teams that have already confirmed their participation.
The season will finish off with the six national championship races which will determine the road and time trial national champions.
2007 will also see the birth of Greens Cycling Club (teamgreens.com) which includes both the current male and female national champions on its books.
However Mosta AF Sign Studio Cycling Club (mostacyclingclub.com) will still be a force to be reckoned with as they have also reinforced their elite team. Qormi WURTH Cycling Club will also be fighting for the top posts this year.
All the clubs are doing their utmost in their teams and this will only raise the level and heat of competition.
The cycling national team will have a busy agenda preparing for international competitions with the objective of gaining qualification for the Beijing Olympic Games and the world championships to be held in South Africa.
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MIA Olympic Special – What’s On
On Thursday on TVM at 5pm, Friday on E22 at 9pm (RPT), Sunday on E22 at 10am (RPT) and Monday on E22 at 2.30pm (RPT) will feature the following:
GSSE Section – bowls
The Games of the Small States of Europe will be taking place from the 4th – 9 June 2007 in Monaco and one of the disciplines that will be included will be bowls. This discipline was first introduced at the San Marino 2001 and the Maltese team consisted of Stefan Farrugia, Godfrey Sciberras, Pasquale Saliba, Anthony Debono, Victor Zahra – Official and Joseph Tonna – Coach. Stefan Farrugia went on to take the gold medal when he produced two brilliant displays against the top San Marino players in front of dozens of passionate San Marino citizens who were confident that no one could topple them at their own game. Athletes preparing for these games include Joseph Demanuele, David Farrugia, Melvin Borg, Rennie Farrugia and Arthur Darmanin who is also the national coach. Find out more about the preparations for the Maltese bowls team in this feature.
Featured event
The Malta Handball Association is organising a Youth Handball Festival for children aged between 12 and 14 on Saturday 13 January at the University Hall, Tal-Qroqq. The idea behind festivals is for children to enjoy the game of handball without the need for harsh competition. Find out what happened at this event with short comments from officials present.
MOC director
Pippo Psaila is the Maltese Olympic Committee’s Director of Sport and Chef de Mission for the forthcoming GSSE Monaco Games. He has formed part of the Maltese Olympic Committee for more than 10 years.
As Director of Sport, he is responsible for the sports programme and technical programme of the MOC and assists affiliated associations regarding their technical matters. He is also responsible for all matters connected with the Olympic Games, Mediterranean Games, Commonwealth Games, Games of the Small States of Europe and the European Youth Olympic Days. In addition, Pippo Psaila is the Chairperson of the organising committee for the MOC Sports Award, Chancellor for the Hall of Fame, Games Projects, Coaching Education, Recruitment of Athletes residing abroad and much more.
Find out more about the role of the MOC’s Technical Department in this short interview with Mr Pippo Psaila.
Highlight events
This week’s highlights will focus on a friendly international competition for the U/16 and U/21 Malta selection against Eaton College, UK organised by the Malta Hockey Association and a Malta Amateur Athletics Association Road Race which took place in Qawra on Sunday.
Schedule available every week on www.nocmalta.org and on The Malta Independent every Tuesday. Produced in collaboration with E22.
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Olympic Charter excerpts: Recognition by the IOC
The condition for belonging to the Olympic Movement is recognition by the IOC.
The IOC may recognise as NOCs national sports organisations, the activities of which are linked to its mission and role. The IOC may also recognise associations of NOCs formed at continental or world level. All NOCs and associations of NOCs shall have, where possible, the status of legal persons. They must comply with the Olympic Charter. Their statutes are subject to the approval of the IOC.
The IOC may recognise IFs and associations of IFs.
The recognition of associations of IFs or NOCs does not in any way affect the right of each IF and of each NOC to deal directly with the IOC, and vice-versa.
The IOC may recognise non-governmental organisations connected with sport, operating on an international level, the statutes and activities of which are in conformity with the Olympic Charter.
Recognition by the IOC may be provisional or full. Provisional recognition, or its withdrawal, is decided by the IOC Executive Board for a specific or an indefinite period. The IOC Executive Board may determine the conditions according to which provisional recognition may lapse. Full recognition, or its withdrawal, is decided by the Session. All details of recognition procedures are determined by the IOC Executive Board.