The 242 hours of non-stop volleyball were opened by Education, Youth and Employment Minister Louis Galea after the Maltese national anthem was played.
Dar Tal-Providenza director Mgr Lawrence Gatt then blessed the court in the presence of representatives from the Ursoline Sisters and the Lourdes Home. The funds donated over the course of the marathon will go to these three organisations.
Captain of the national volleyball team Jonathan Chetcuti then gave the first symbolic service that kicked the marathon off.
This year, the marathon will be coloured with stage shows by some of Malta’s leading entertainers. The Talentissima festival 2004 will give the audience 11 shows over the course of the marathon.
The Kerygma dancers, the Dancing Spiders, performed at yesterday’s ceremony. Joe Grech, Marvic and Olivia Lewis, the tenor Aldo Busuttil, the Peruvian folklore group Sayar, the Paul Curmi Dancers and the Msida Dance Centre provided the entertainment for the night.
The event aims at breaking the world record for constant volleyball playing, which is currently set at 241 hours. The teams will be playing on a shift system – two hours in the morning and three hours in the evening.
The National Campaign for Solidarity through Sports has worked for the past 18 summers to generate awareness of social issues. The campaign, established by the Kerygma Movement in 1986, aims to instil Catholic values in the volunteers and provide alternative entertainment for Maltese families.
Since 1986, Kerygma has collected Lm1,114,469 starting from a meagre Lm234 ending up with Lm235,274 collected at last year’s event.
Over the next nine days, a total of 1,714 singers, bands, dancers and even comedians will be gracing the stage in the Talentissima festival. Each show will start at 6.30pm. tomorrow Fabrizio Faniello and the Louie’ Noir International Cabaret show will be entertaining visitors of the marathon.
The Kerygma Movement urges the public to donate generously to this good cause. People can call on 50049553 to give a Lm3 donation, 50049555 for a Lm5 donation and on 5075002 to give a Lm10 donation. The public can also send a text message to 5075002 to donate Lm2, 5075003 to give Lm3 and 5075005 to donate Lm5.