The Malta Amateur Athletic Association held its annual general meeting recently which included the election of the new council for the two year period 2005-2007.
Both Anthony Chircop, President, and Edwin Attard, General Secretary, were returned to their posts uncontested. The other members elected during the meeting were
Anthony Fava, Vice President, Maurice Spiteri, Treasurer, Joe Gerada, Asst. Secretary, Charles Pullicino, Fixtures Secretary, Tanya Xuereb, PRO and Valerie Farrugia and Jesmond Bartolo, members.
These latter positions, that is all the posts except that of President and General Secretary, were approved by the council itself.
The association holds an annual General meeting regularly, normally each year, but the elections for new council members are held every two years.
Among the important statements put forward by the President during this meeting were details of the weekly TV Programme entitled “Why Athletics?” that the association will be producing from 13 December onwards on Smash TV and the fact that the MAAA will be hosting the European Athletic Calendar Conference here in Malta in October, 2007, an annual event that usually attracts some 300 or so delegates.
‘Why Athletics’
In its efforts to promote the sport as well as the local athletes themselves, the Malta Amateur Athletic Association has finalised arrangements to present a series of 29 weekly programmes on Smash Television, each of 30 minutes duration. The programmes will be aired every Tuesday at 5.30pm with a repetition of the same programme the following Saturday at 8.30pm.
The inaugural programme will be shown on Tuesday 13 December at 5.30pm.
Each programme would be in the form of a discussion with a panel of three guest speakers interspersed with various features to show how the technical instruction, the medical expertise and administrative functions are effectively brought together to explain what is being done to ensure that the level of athletics in Malta will continue to improve.
Well known TV personality Xandru Grech will be co-producing as well as presenting the programme. He will be ably assisted by Jean Claude Micallef and Giselle Camilleri.
The long list of guest speakers is to include Doctors, Physiotherapists, Physiologists, Athletic coaches, Nutritionists, sports administrators, teachers, experts on Education and, last but not least, the athletes themselves. So that this will not be another discussion programme, the producers are striving to include as much action as possible, while at the same time bringing the protagonists, the athletes themselves, into Maltese and Gozitan home.
Furthermore, the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), is being very supportive of this initiative by the MAAA, and will be providing film clips of profiles of international athletic stars as well as current athletic news clips to further make the programme interesting to the general public.
Past athletes and officials
A holy Mass for the repose of the soul of past athletes, officials and members of the Malta Amateur Athletic Association will be celebrated at 6pm tomorrow at Our Lady of Victory Church, Valletta.
All athletes, officials and members are urged to attend .