All sports organisations are encouraged to put in their nominations for this year’s Sport Awards which will take place on 12 December. Athletes/teams nominated must have obtained a high-level technical result in a first class continental/world or other such high-calibre international event organised by the international federation or a recognised international body of world repute. All entries are to be accompanied by the official result issued by the International Federation of that particular sport or the hosts of the event. Closing date for nominations is Friday. Established in 2001, the MOC Sports Awards are the premier recognition event for sporting excellence. The awards fall into the following categories: Platinum Category, Gold Category, Silver Category, and Bronze Category. Nominees for these awards will be announced by 22 November. Winners will be announced at the official gala awards ceremony to be held on 12 December. The ceremony will be broadcast on Education22.
Olympic Charter Excerpt – Chapter 1: The Olympic Movement
and its action
Under the supreme authority of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Movement encompasses organisations, athletes and other persons who agree to be guided by the Olympic Charter. The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised in accordance with Olympism and its values.
The three main constituents of the Olympic Movement are the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Sports Federations (IFs) and the National Olympic Committees (NOCs).
Any person or organisation belonging in any capacity whatsoever to the Olympic Movement is bound by the provisions of the Olympic Charter and shall abide by the decisions of the IOC.
In addition to its three main constituents, the Olympic Movement also encompasses the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs), the national associations, clubs and persons belonging to the Ifs and NOCs, particularly the athletes, whose interests constitute a fundamental element of the Olympic Movement’s action, as well as the judges, referees, coaches and the other sports officials and technicians.
It also includes other organisations and institutions as recognised by the IOC.
Association news: Malta Weightlifting Federation
Alfred Ellul Mercer President
As a basic athletic activity and a natural means to measure strength and power, the lifting of weights was present in both the ancient Egyptian and Greek societies. Boosting its international importance chiefly in the 19th century, weightlifting was among those few sports (alongside athletics, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, wrestling, shooting and cycling) which featured already on the programme of the first Modern Olympic Games in 1896, Athens. The first World Championships in this sport, however, had been staged five years earlier: on 28 March 1891, in London, with seven athletes representing six countries.
Weightlifting is thus the only sport whose history in worldwide competitions spans across three centuries: from 1891 through the 20th century until our days, in 2006.
The power relations have undergone major changes over the past decades. At the beginning of the century, Austria, Germany and France used to be the most successful nations. Later on, Egypt, then the United States of America reigned. In the 1950s and the following three decades the Soviet Union’s weightlifters played the protagonists’ role – with Bulgaria becoming a main challenger. Since the mid-1990s, however, Turkey, Greece and China have catapulted to the lead. The most recent world power in men’s weightlifting is Greece. In the women’s field, China has been dominant since the very beginning, with other Asian countries, like Thailand, emerging as strong contenders to the champion titles. Overall, however, Europe is the most powerful continent in competitions of both genders.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) today comprises 176 affiliated nations. Approximately 10,000 weightlifters participate annually in official competitions; weight training however, is an indispensable tool for strength development for all sports and billions of people all over the world have workouts with the barbell for the sake of fitness. Entry figures of World Championships have increased year by year. The participation record was registered at the 1999 World Championships in Athens, Greece, with 660 athletes from 88 countries taking part.
Men have competed in 22 Olympic Games and 75 World Championships, while junior men have taken part in 31 Junior World Championships. Women made their first Olympic appearance in Sydney 2000 and took part in 17 senior and 11 Junior World Championships.
The Malta Weightlifting Federation was established in 1975 by Charles Mifsud, who was Australian junior and senior weightlifting champion between 1962 and 1970. He was also holder of several Commonwealth records.
On his return to Malta in 1971, Charles Mifsud started to work at launching weightlifting as a new sports discipline for Malta. The new federation was recognised by the European federation in 1975 and the international federation in 1976.
The federation was set up to promote, develop and control Olympic weightlifting throughout the Maltese islands. The federation also organises courses and examinations for those interested in learning about Olympic weightlifting, weight training, coaching and refereeing of this sport.
The first national championship was held in 1979, and since that time, several international competitions were organised in Malta, such as the European Small Nations Weightlifting Tournament, Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and the European Juniors in 1990.
The Malta federation is affiliated with the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), the European Weightlifting Federation (EWF), the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation (CWF) and the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC).
The federation’s main centre is situated at the Cottonera Sports Complex. Others are situated at Marsa and San Gwann. Arrangements are under way to open centres in Mellieha and Gozo.
The federation organises several national competitions and national championships every year, open to all categories and ages. The federation also participates regularly in competitions abroad. The federation recognises two official Olympic lifts, the two-hands Snatch and the two-hands Clean and Jerk, and their respective totals.
In competition, each lifter is allowed three attempts on the Snatch and on the Clean and Jerk, with the best result obtained in each lift added up to give the Olympic Total.
Anyone wanting to know more about this sport or wishing to have a go may contact the Malta Weightlifting Federation on 9947-0478 or by email to dsaliba@ global.net.mt.
MIA Olympic Special – What’s On
Thursday 2 November on TVM at 5pm, Friday 3 November on E22 at 9pm (RPT), Sunday 5 November on E22 at 10am (RPT) and Monday 6 November on E22 at 2.30pm (RPT) will feature the following:
Athlete Profile
Massimo Cremona, 33 years old, vice world champion in Table Football; currently plays on a semi-professional basis for Italian club Perugia which is the current European champion. He is also a qualified UEFA “B” licensed football coach. During the last football World Cup in Germany, the finals for World Table Football took place where Massimo Cremona came in second place and went on to rank number one in the world. Find out more about Massimo Cremona in this interview produced by University communication students Lara Schembri and Daniel Vella.
What is Golf?
Golf is an individual sport played over 18 holes, each of varying length and different design. The object is to strike a ball measuring 1.68” into a hole measuring 4.25” on each of the 18 holes in the least number of strokes possible, while abiding by the rules of Golf and Golf etiquette. Find out more about this sport practised in Malta in this feature produced by University communication students Lara Schembri and Daniel Vella.
Feature Event
The Women in Sport Commission of the Malta Olympic Committee organised its third Women in Sport Seminar, titled “Women and Leadership in Sport: Barriers and Solutions”. This was held at the Grand Hotel Mercure San Antonio between the 27-28th October. Learn more about the issues raised and discussed at this seminar with this dedicated feature including a number of interviews with chairperson Dr Lucienne Attard and a number of guest speakers.
Highlight Events
Hockey Super Cup final BDO Hs vs Ta’ Soldi Rabat won by BDO Hs with a score of 1-0; Swimming Time Trials organised by the Aquatic Sports Association at the National Swimming Pool Complex which was held on Saturday 28 October; Shooting competition in Skeet organised by the Malta Shooting Federation on the 29 October at Bidnija Shooting Range.
Schedule available every week on www.nocmalta.org and on The Malta Independent every Tuesday. Produced in collaboration with E22 and the University of Malta, Centre for Communication and Technologies (CCT) Video Production Students (Video3 – 2006).
Athlete Profile: Massimo Cremona
Age: 33 years
Sport: Table Football, Open Category
Club: Perugia – Italy
Started: Malta Table Football Sports Association 1988
Job: Importer and distributor of frozen meats
Personal Bests
• No.1 World Ranked player in June 2006
• Vice World Champion 2006 in Germany 2006
• Finalist in the Teams Champions League Final 2005 with Reggiana
• Winner of the Major of Bologna for teams with Reggiana
• Semi-finalist with Malta National Team in Germany 2006 and Malta 2003
National Record
• 7 times Malta Champion (1992-93; 1994-95; 1996-97; 1998-99; 1999-2000;2004-05; 2005-06)
• 6 times Malta Knock-out Winner (1991-92; 1992-93; 1993-94; 1994-95; 1996-97; 1999-2000)
• 5 times Super Cup (1991-92; 1993-94; 1996-97; 1999-00; 2004-05)
• 3 times Christmas Cup (1997-98; 2004-05; 2005-06)
• 2 times Malta Masters Winner (2004; 2005)
Achievements
• 3rd place in the Sportsman of the Year 2006.
• Silver Award, Malta Olympic Committee Sports Awards 2005
• 3rd place in the Italian Serie A league for Clubs
Winner
• Malta Open 2006, Denmark Gran Prix 2006, Trofeo Città di Catania 2006, Malta IO 2005, Norway GP 2005, Norway IO 2005, Scotland IO 2005, Trofeo Aretusa 2003
Finalist
• Belfast GP 2006, Vienna GP 2006, Manchester GP 2006, Dublin GP 2005, London GP 2005, Kildare IO 2004, Trofeo Città di Catania 2004
Majors Semi-Final
• Bologna 2006, Austria 2005, Belgium 2004
Semi-Finals
• Amsterdam 2006, Belfast 2005, South Queenferry (Scotland) 2005, Odense (Denmark) 2005, Dublin 2004, Dublin 2004
Other
• Represented Malta at the World Cup 1989-2005 and European Championships Athens 1997
‘Malta u Dinja tal-Hames Crieki
Next Sunday at 1.05pm on 103FM (RTK), this programme will feature the Women in Sport Commission who will discuss the out come of the third edition of the Women in Sport Seminar and the Malta Karate Association.