The 26-year-old Maltese Judoka Joanna Camilleri will be representing Malta at the Judo World Cup to be held in Rome between 17 and 18 May.

Joanna forms part of the Hibernians Budokwai Club and competes in the under 57kg category. She has participated in a number of tournaments and won several medals including a bronze medal in an international competition in Cyprus in 2004, two silver medals in the National Championship Open of 2005 and 2006, a silver medal in the Malta Open 2005/2006 under 63kg category and the Gold Medal in the GSSE2007 held in Monaco.

She also placed first in the National Championship of 2007 in the under 57kg category. The World Cup is open to all the federations of the International Judo Federation. Each European Federation can enter a maximum of two athletes per category where as other Federations only one.

Joanna Camilleri was chosen by the Malta Judo Federation to represent Malta in this biannual Female World Cup.

During Olympic qualification period, which closed in April, these World Cups are qualifier tournaments for the Olympics. This edition of the World Cup will be considered for the world ranking of the European Judo Union.

Joanna is a member of the MIA Gold Athlete Scheme of the MOC Centre of Excellence sponsored by the Malta International Airport as part of the company’s ‘Supporting Malta’s Sport’ sponsorship policy.

This scheme has been established in order to provide outstanding Maltese athletes with access to a number of services, schemes and programmes brought together under one umbrella with one objective: to help them in achieving their ultimate goals and objectives to represent Malta in the international sphere of competitive sport and obtain good results in the international sphere.

The centre devised by the MOC President, Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco, allows the MOC to centralise and run the athlete services under the responsibility of a newly appointed commission.

This, apart from the MOC President, includes Joe Cassar, secretary general; Marie Therese Zammit, director of athlete support programmes; and Envic Galea, director of youth.