The International Olympic Committee and its Commission for Culture and Olympic Education are launching the third edition of Olympic Sport and Literature Competition, through the National Olympic Committees.
All students under the age of 18 years of age are invited to take part along with thousands of other students from all over the world in this Olympic Sport and Literature Competition highlighting the pillars of Olympism, namely sport and culture.
Here is an opportunity for young writers to be creative and where winning works will receive a special International Olympic Committee (IOC) trophy and 2nd and 3rd placings will receive IOC diplomas. The IOC at the end of the contest will also publish a book gathering all national winning works.
The Literary Competition will be based on the Olympic Spirit and Olympic Values. Students are to prepare an essay of maximum four A4 size pages (not exceeding 3,000 words on one of these themes).
Primary and secondary schools will be invited through the schools to participate. Application form and general information/contest rules/prizes and entry form can be obtained from schools and or the MOC website www.nocmalta.org
The competition is open to participants in the following age categories:
Category 1: under 12 years old on 31 August 2009
Category 2: from 12 to 18 years old on 31 August 2009
Awards
Awards will be given for each category (1 & 2) as follows:
Category 1:
First prize – Special IOC Trophy and diploma
Second Prize – IOC Diploma
Third Prize – IOC Diploma
Category 2
First prize – Special IOC Trophy and diploma
Second Prize – IOC Diploma
Third Prize – IOC Diploma
Copyrights
By submitting their entries to the NOC and subsequently to the IOC, the participants shall have granted the IOC authority to publish their work and to use their names and surnames, their photographs and personal addresses in the promotion and publicity, or any other event surrounding the competition.
Cancellation
Should circumstances require, the IOC reserves the right to alter the timetable of the competition or cancel it altogether without incurring any liability on its part.
Students must present works with an original plot in which the framework of subject of the action is either the Olympic Spirit or one of the Olympic values that are: Excellence, Friendship and Respect. Deadline for Students to hand in works to school: 29th May 2009. For further information visit www.nocmalta.org
MOC to send one student to the Olympic Academy
The Maltese Olympic Committee is sending one student to attend the Olympic Academy in Ancient Olympia. There the selected student will attend the Second International Session for Olympic Medallists and the 17th International Seminar on Olympic Studies
The Maltese Olympic Committee invites applications from students interested in attending the above Sessions in Olympia.
Applicants must be students at tertiary level and should show a special interest in the aims of the International Olympic Academy as well as in current issues of Olympism.
Moreover, they should have a genuine interest in the educational aspects of the activities organised in the course of the Session, as well as show interest in getting involved with the Maltese Olympic Movement.
The IOA will offer a seven-day educational programme for one student from each Mediterranean Olympic Committee from the 13th of July 2009 to the 20th of July 2009 (days of arrival and departure of the delegates). During the above-mentioned dates, the 2nd International Session for Olympic Medallists and the 17th International Seminar on Olympic Studies will take place.
The selected male or female participant will follow a specific program prepared by the IOA and will have the opportunity to attend the lectures and exchange his/her ideas and cultures with the other participants.
a) Transport – The student will have to pay the cost of his/her air-ticket to Athens. He/she will be met at the airport and will be transferred directly to the Hotel. The next day he /she will be transferred by buses to the premises in Ancient Olympia. The same procedure will be followed for the departure.
Accommodation/Boarding – of participants, both in Athens and in Olympia, will be at the charge of the International Olympic Academy for the duration of the Session.
Participants must have an excellent knowledge of either English or French since they are expected to take active part in the discussion groups which follow the lectures.
Applications together with a Sport CV must reach Ms Adele Muscat, Director Olympic Academy, at the MOC Headquarters, c/o National Swimming Pool Complex, Maria Teresa Spinelli Street, Gzira GZR 1711, by not later then Monday 18 May 2009. Those requiring further details can contact Ms. Adele Muscat, Director MOC Olympic Academy by email: [email protected].
IOC wraps up assessment tour of Madrid’s bid
HAROLD HECKLE
AP writer
Security against terror threats is a top priority for the International Olympic Committee as it weighs up bids for the 2016 games from Madrid and three other cities, the head of the evaluation panel said.
Nawal el Moutawakel, chair of the IOC commission, said the ability of a city “to organise a safe and secure games” would weigh heavily in the committee’s technical assessment.
“We have been most impressed to find what the city of Madrid could offer the Olympics,” El Moutawakel said, virtually the same words she used after visiting rival bids from Chicago, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.
“From what we have seen Madrid is ready to present the games, just like the other three cities,” she said at the close of the five-day visit.
Earlier, Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said separatist militants would not pose a threat to the 2016 Olympics if Madrid wins. Rubalcaba told the 13-member IOC evaluation team that security forces had considerable experience in protecting international sporting events in Spain.
“We won’t need to worry about (Basque separatist group) ETA in 2016,” Rubalcaba said. Rubalcaba told the IOC that Spain had an impeccable record of protecting major sporting and international events in Spain from being targeted. ETA has killed more than 825 people in a 40-year campaign for an independent Basque state. Also, on 11 March, 2004, 191 people were killed and 1,800 injured in bombing attacks by Islamic terrorists in Madrid.
Madrid is the final of the four bid cities to be evaluated by the IOC.
The evaluation panel will compile a report assessing the four bids by
2 September, a month before the full IOC selects the host city in Copenhagen. Madrid is hoping to persuade the IOC that Spain’s security situation and financial stability pose no threat to a successful games.
Madrid has already completed 77 per cent of its Olympic venues, which it believes will allow it to weather the current economic crisis. Spain is one of the worse-hit European countries, with unemployment figures expected to hit 20 per cent next year. El Moutawakel and Olympic Games executive director Gilbert Felli said the panel had been impressed by Madrid’s infrastructure and singled out the “Magic Box” tennis centre, aquatics centre and international airport.
Felli said the economic downturn was unlikely to last seven years, so by the time the 2016 games come around financial issues may not be a worry.
“Each city believes its bid will have a positive impact,” Felli said.
El Moutawakel and the other IOC members had lunch with Spain’s Royal family, who will lead the Spanish capital’s delegation to Copenhagen for the vote.
The IOC chair said the panel had enjoyed meeting tennis star Rafa Nadal, Real Madrid captain Raul Gonzalez and former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch.
“I can tell you the weather played a good role also, sunny and nice,” El Moutawakel said. Meanwhile, Spanish Sport Minister Jaime Lissavetzky assured the IOC team that a pending doping law would not impede Madrid’s bid.
The law would prohibit drug-testing of athletes between 11pm and 8am. WADA rules state that athletes must be available for drug testing 24 hours a day.
Chris Camilleri raises the bar in Portugal
Maltese sprint canoeist Christopher Camilleri recently returned from a two-week training camp at the Nelo Training Centre in Oliveira do Douro – Cinfães, Portugal, where he was preparing for the Mediterranean Games.
Here, Camilleri focused on improving his times in 500m, 1,000m and 2,000m sprints whilst becoming reacquainted with racing conditions. Whilst training in fresh water, the boat sits lower in the water making it inherently slower and harder to paddle through than salt water. Camilleri was training up to four times a day, and his sessions not only included kayaking but also running and intensive gym sessions.
Under the guidance of his Hungarian coach Tibor Virag, his goals were met as his times improved to 1:48 min for 500m, 3:53 min for 1000m and 8:29 min for 2000m.
Camilleri was pleased with the outcome of the training camp as he “believes that the objective of this training camp has been achieved successfully since we are now working on speed work and this resulted in personal best times on all three distances especially those forming part of the Mediterranean Games competitions – 500m and 1000m.”
Whilst in Portugal he also visited the Nelo Factory where he got to see how the kayaks were manufactured. Nelo is supplying Camilleri with their latest model for a flatwater sprint kayak – the Vanquish 3 – which he will be training in prior to the Mediterranean Games as well as during the Games themselves.
This opportunity was made possible through the Maltese Olympic Committee’s Mediterranean Games Scholarship. Camilleri thanked the Malta Canoe Federation and his employers Deloitte for their continuous support.
MIA Olympic Special – What’s On
Tomorrow on TVM at 5.15pm and on E22 at 7pm; Thursday 14 May on E22 at 10am (RPT), Friday 15 May on TVM at 10am (RPT) and Saturday 16 May on E22 at 3pm (RPT) will feature the following:
Featured Event – Athletics
The Malta AAA, is the governing body of athletics in Malta, and was founded in 1928. The MAAA is run by a Council whose members are elected on a bi-annual basis by delegates from affiliated clubs. The current number of affiliated athletic clubs is 12, most of which enjoy full-member status. Each year, the MAAA organises and sanctions several track and field events together with a significant number of road races. Approximately, 600 athletes are registered annually for MAAA competitions. Athletes are ranged into several age categories. The past weekend witnessed another Aggregate Meeting at the Matthew Micallef St. John Stadium.
Highlighted Events – Squash/Triathlon
Squash is a racquet sport game played by two players (or four players for doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. Squash players and associations have lobbied for many years for the sport to be accepted into the Olympic Games, with no success to date. Squash narrowly missed being instated for the 2012 London Games. It is again up for consideration for the 2016 Summer Games along with baseball, softball, rugby, golf, and roller sports. This year’s Squash Malta Open was held from the 6th May till the 9th May. The finals were held on Saturday with the men’s final being of a high standard.
A triathlon is a multi-sport endurance event consisting of swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed “transitions” between the individual swim, bike, and run components. The sport made its debut on the Olympic program at the Sydney Games in 2000 over the Olympic Distance (1500 m swim - 40 km bike - 10 km run). Last Sunday the Championships for the Small States of Europe were held at Salina.
MOC Section – Visit by Opposition Leader Dr. J. Muscat
The leader of the opposition Dr. Joseph Muscat met the GSSE potential athletes at the Matthew St. John Athletics Track in Marsa on Saturday. MIA Olympic Magazine will give coverage of this event.