The athletes of the Commonwealth Youth Games have been officially welcomed to Pune in India in a spectacular ceremony at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City.

Around 1,700 athletes and team officials were greeted by a colourful display showcasing the region’s rich cultural heritage and was attended by hundreds of children from schools who exchanged gifts with representatives from each of the Commonwealth’s 71 countries.

Teams have been arriving across the week in preparation for the Games which were officially opened during a ceremony on Sunday night by the India’s President, Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

The 90-minute welcome ceremony took place in the cultural plaza with athletes in high spirits. Each was presented with a turban on arrival, creating a sea of bright orange colour as athletes danced to the Bollywood beat.

A wide range of entertainment is planned for the plaza, sure to make it a central attraction for competitors and fans until the Closing Ceremony on 18 October.

The athletes, all 18 or under, are competing in nine sports across six days of competition at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City, the single complex that houses all the venues and the residential village.

The sports disciplines on the programme include athletics, badminton, boxing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

Malta will be represented in athletics and shooting.

Chef de Mission for the Malta contingent will be MOC director of youth Envic Galea.

Track twins Francesca and Martina Xuereb and skeet ace Clive Farrugia are the top athletes in the MOC’s selection for the Games which will serve as a showcase for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi, the Indian capital.

Together with the Xuereb sisters in the track and field events are Michael Fraser (400m), Michael Sullivan (110m hurdles), Marija Sciberras (100m hurdles), Andrew Cassar Torregiani (long jump), Andy Grech (long jump) and Dorianne Micallef (200m).

In shooting, skeet ace Clive Farrugia will be leading the group which consists also of trap shooter Ryan Bugeja and Derek Bonanno who will compete in double trap. Charlot Chircop will take part in the 10m air rifle competition.

Other officials joining Team Malta for Pune will be Anthony Fava athletics official and Edwin Vella, shooting official.

122 coaches and administrators for MOC courses

As part of the restructuring programme of the Maltese Olympic Committee resulting from the Games of Small States of Europe held in Monaco in 2007, the Executive Committee of the Maltese Olympic Committee has decided that as from 1 January any coach, technical official of administrator forming a part or being a member of Team Malta in any of the following games, will have to be certified and have a special accreditation from the Olympic Committee. The games in question are the GSSE Cyprus, the Mediterranean Games to he held in Pescara, the third Friendship Games, the EYOF Games – Finland and COJI Games

Attendance at these courses was compulsory for one to be accredited for these Games. Two courses were held in September 2008. A total of 112 coaches, administrators and team leaders were accredited where 65 attended the coaching course and 47 for the team leaders course.

MOC director of sport Pippo Psaila was the director of courses where he conducted lectures in coaching methodology, yearly training plan, the role of the coach, pre-season training, leadership skills and success management.

Other lectures were conducted by Dr Lucienne Attard with reference to doping in sport and Adele Muscat on the physicological aspects in athletes.

For the team leaders course the speakers were Mario Bonello with special reference on the role of athletes in competition, Adele Muscat on conflict management and the psychology of athletes in competition, Pippo Psaila on the role before the Games, the role at the Games and being part of Team Malta, Charles Camenzuli on media management and the role of national associations in such development and Joseph Cassar as general secretary of the MOC on time management and management skills.

The presentation of certificates to all participants will be held on 23 October at the MOC headquarters.

Rogge on Olympic Congress with one year to go (Part I)

With one year to go until the opening of the 13th Olympic Congress in Copenhagen, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has spoken of his expectations for the event as the Congress logo, a stylised heart reflecting the Congress motto, “Taking the Pulse”, was unveiled.

“There is a congress very infrequently, and for a very good reason,” said the president. “Because this is a time to reflect on the past and have a debate on the future. Traditionally, the Olympic Congress has been the catalyst for significant and meaningful developments, and I believe Copenhagen will be no different.”

Congresses change

the Olympic Movement

Past congresses have resulted in fundamental changes to the Olympic Movement. Amateurism gave way to the acceptance of professionalism at the 10th Congress in Varna, Bulgaria, in 1973. The Athletes’ Commission was created in 1981 at the 11th Congress in Baden-Baden, and the environment was the focus of the 12th Congress in 1994 in Paris.

“This is why I want to encourage everyone to contribute their thoughts, ideas and best thinking,” continued the president. “This is our opportunity to take on bold new directions and set the tone for the Olympic Movement for years to come.”

Young people and the

digital revolution

The president is clear about his priorities: “I believe that, first of all, we need to address our responsibility to better engage with young people and to combat inactivity and obesity. I am also eager for us to fully embrace the digital revolution, which affects the way the world experiences the Olympic Games, whether via the internet or on mobile phones.

New ways of engaging and involving as many people as possible in the debate are reflected in the virtual Olympic Congress website – www.2009congress.olympic.org/en – which has been live throughout 2008. This has been successfully used to solicit contributions under five themes: Athletes, Olympic Games, Structure of the Olympic Movement, Olympism and Youth and The Digital Revolution.

Open to everyone’s ideas

It is a sign of this desire for new ideas that, for the first time, the process has been opened up and the general public encouraged to submit contributions. “We have already had more than 1,000 written submissions from the public and the Olympic family, and I am hoping for many more,” said the president.

“This is a great opportunity for us all to participate in creating the future of the Olympic Movement,” the president concluded.

“Today, we are faced with the challenge of building on our past success and ensuring the Olympic Movement remains relevant into the rest of the 21st century. For this, we are going to need everyone’s best thinking.”

Welcome to the virtual Olympic Congress!

Over the last 10 years, the digital revolution has radically transformed access to information and methods of communication. New technology has enabled many people to circulate their ideas more freely and easily.

This is the vocation of the virtual Olympic Congress, the first stage of a process leading us to the Olympic Congress, which will be held in Copenhagen from 3 to 5 October 2009.

Part II will be carried next week