Maltese sport gives little satisfaction in the international arena. So when Maltese athletes do well in an international event, perhaps even exceeding expectations, they deserve to be praised for their effort.

Many tend to associate sport with just football and, in this regard, Malta has little to be proud of. Our victories in football have been few and far between and, added to this, we have often been humbled by superior opponents. Only last Saturday, while the Maltese Small Nations Games contingent was celebrating its success in Andorra, the Maltese football national side was suffering yet another heavy defeat, a 6-0 drubbing by Sweden.

Of course, one cannot compare what our football team does against top nations in Europe to the Small Nations Games, in which only eight of the smallest countries in Europe take part. But, on the other hand, when success and improvement is achieved at this level, it shows that the work that has been put in is reaping the desired fruit.

In spite of fielding the smallest contingent – in Games held on foreign soil – in the last 15 years, Malta obtained its best ever result when the Games were not hosted locally. A haul of 37 medals – seven gold, 13 silver and 17 bronze – was a great result.

The fact that Malta did not take part in three disciplines and also that sailing and squash – two of the most successful disciplines over the years for Malta – were not among the list of sport included in the games adds to the success of the local athletes.

Even at this level, there are so-called giants. Cyprus, Luxembourg and Iceland continue to dominate these games, largely because of bigger contingents and, most of all, bigger resources. Yet, Malta did play its own part well.

One could not expect the same result obtained in Malta two years ago, when Malta finished fourth overall with a record number of medals. But the fact that the progress that has been achieved on away soil as from the 1997 edition of the games in Iceland shows a certain element of consistency that results only from hard work.

Considering the difficulties that existed before these games – one will remember that earlier this year Malta’s participation in Andorra was a big question mark because of a dispute involving the Malta Olympic Committee, the Malta Sports Council and the Education Ministry – the results achieved last week have an even greater bearing.

What is important now is that we continue building on what we have done. Like we did after the Iceland edition in 1997, after Liechtenstein in 1999 and San Marino in 2001, (not to mention the 2003 edition in Malta) Maltese sport needs to receive all the support possible – from the government but also from private enterprises – to continue pushing ahead.

The next international appointments are the Mediterranean Games to be held in Almeria, Spain, later on this month, followed by the Commonwealth Games in March 2006. Of course, we cannot expect the same results as Malta will be competing against bigger nations, but there is hope that at least one Maltese athlete might surprise us all.

The long-term plan is to take account of what happened in Andorra, build on the success that has been achieved and correct mistakes that may have been committed, in order to attempt a further improvement when the next Small Nations Games take place in Monaco in 2007.

Two years may seem a long time, but in sport one cannot let go and concentrate on an event when it is round the corner.

So, as we celebrate our athletes for their achievement in Andorra last week, we must already start encouraging and helping them as they prepare for the next edition of the Small Nations Games, in the hope that they will do even better.