The Malta Olympic Committee yesterday named its contingent for the forthcoming Andorra Games for European Small States being held between 30 May and 5 June.

In naming the contingent, Director of Sport and the Maltese Chef de Mission, Pippo Psaila, said there could be others included as seven athletes, four of whom were close to obtaining their Minimum Qualifying Standards, have been given another chance. In fact, the deadline for qualification has been extended to 15 May in the hope that these athletes will also be included. Three others are being treated for recurring injuries and still have to undergo medical tests and prove their fitness before a final decision is made over their inclusion in the contingent.

Psaila said the MOC had to be selective as it is its policy to have athletes finishing in the medal zone. He added: “There were 53 athletes who were not selected and these included the men’s basketball team, the men’s and women’s volleyball teams and 17 athletes from individual sports disciplines. We made it clear from the start that unless the athletes obtained their Minimum Qualifying Standards – established just after the Malta Games two years ago – they would not be eligible to form part of the contingent.”

Psaila said the selected athletes had all proved themselves to be competitive and he added the MOC was sure that their performances would be of a very high standard. “We wanted our athletes to be at their maximum quotation. Today we have reached the stage where we do not take part just for the sake of competing. We go to these events to be successful against athletes who are also showing they are of a high calibre. We have to be realistic and positive,” he added.

But he warned that no comparison could be made to the results achieved in the 2003 Games in Malta. He said: “First of all, there is no home support this time. Moreover, we are not even taking part in some of the disciplines because these are not congenial for our characteristics. In Andorra, there will also be no squash and sailing where we had been so successful in the Malta Games. I thank all the athletes, especially those who have not been selected. They also went through a lot of sacrifices, but they will have more chances in future,” he said.

MOC president Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco said he was also convinced that Andorra will produce more good results for Malta. “We are working on professional lines and although we will be having one of our smallest contingents in recent years, this does not mean it is the weakest. As everyone must be aware, we had promised that all those who would have obtained the MQS would have been included in the contingent. As to the foreign element, we have just six foreigners in our squad. Compared to the others we have just a few. For example, Monaco have 90 and Andorra have 60. Cyprus, Luxembourg, Iceland and San Marino also have a good number of foreigners among their ranks. It was not lack of funds that hindered us from bringing over others as we had done in the past. It was rather the double citizenship law which, as it stands today, makes some Maltese sportsmen living abroad ineligible to represent their country of origin in such events,” he said. He said the MOC would be glad to see this law revised in future in the interest of local sport.

The MOC president also issued a stern warning to all the athletes that the MOC will not tolerate doping by any athlete. He said: “Those who do so will suffer the consequences. We just want to have athletes competing honestly and with integrity.”

The contingent

Athletics

Nicolai Portelli, Mark Herrera, Karl Farrugia, Darren Gilford, Mario Bonello, Rashid Chouhal, Stefan Mohnani, Rebecca Camilleri, Therese Mallia, Lisa Bezzina, Charlene Attard, Carol Galea, Lara Scerri, Dian Borg, Martina Xuereb.

Basketball

Rachel Camilleri, Joselle Cardona, Alexis Darmanin, Caroline Fenech, Dorianne Galea, Josephine Grima, Annie Jetcheva, Kirsten Micallef, Doreen Parnis, Sandra Schembri Wismayer, Marleen Troost, Greta Zarb.

Cycling

Etienne Bonello, Dermot Galea, Roderick Muscat, Jack Schiavone, David Treacy

Judo

Murman Kurchilava, Reuben Micallef, Yvgeny Ulanov, Marcon Bezzina, Vicky Licari,

Luana Ciantar.

Shooting

Joe Attard, William Chetcuti, Emmanuel Grima, Frans Pace, Paul Vella, William Vella.

Swimming

Roberta Callus, Francesca Paolella, Angela Galea, Davina Mangion

Table-Tennis

Simon Gerada, Andrezei Makowski, Johanna Grech.

Tennis

Lisa Camenzuli, Stephanie Pace, Daniel Ceros, Boris Pasanski.

Taekwondo

Neville Desira, Stephen Formosa.