KMS to contribute Lm155,000 to MOC; Contingent of 60 athletes for Monaco Small Nations Games; Maltese-Australian swimmer Lyn Scerri to be included; Sports Director expects better results than Andorra – nine golds and 4-5th place in Monaco Games

The president of the Maltese Olympic Committee yesterday outlined the plans for 2007 with the Games for Small Nations in Monaco in June being the highlight.

Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco said the MOC, as has been the case in the past 10 years or so, will continue to work hard on upgrading the levels of local sportsmen and women and will provide financial help to those athletes who promise to keep Malta’s flag flying high.

He revealed that the contingent for Monaco will consist of 60 athletes and around 30 officials and will be smaller than usual, mostly because some sports disciplines in which Malta was successful in the past, e.g. shooting and women’s basketball, will not be included this year.

The MOC president said that 2006 was considered as a very successful year and his committee was now expecting better results this year. He thanked the media for their support. “You provide the motivation for the athletes. Your push enables the athletes to go for more,” he told those present yesterday at a Media Breakfast at the Malta Hilton.

The Games in Monaco will be held between 4 and 9 June and the disciplines this time are athletics, bocci, basketball (men), gymnastics, judo, sailing, swimming, shooting (air rifle and air pistol only), table-tennis, tennis, volleyball and Beach Volley.

The MOC president said preparations were going ahead as scheduled. He added that accommodation in Monaco this time will be on a cruise liner.

Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco also made mention of the forthcoming competitions, even beyond 2007, in which the MOC will hopefully be taking part with its athletes. These include the Olympic Games in Peking next year, the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, the Mediterranean Games in Pescara in 2009, the Commonwealth Youth Games in India in 2008, the EYOF Games this year in Belgrade and the COJI Games in Corsica this year.

The MOC president said relations with the Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport (KMS) had continued to improve throughout the past year. “The sum of Lm155,000 – well over the figure of last year – has been allocated to us this year. It is obviously the bulk of our revenue of Lm252,000 which also includes the sum of around Lm40,000 which the MOC receives from the International Olympic Committee,” he said.

He added that the Games in Monaco alone will cost the MOC the sum of Lm55,000. “By today, the associations concerned will receive a letter informing them of the grant towards these Games so that they will have the chance to provide their athletes with the best possible final preparations,” he stated.

Those affiliated federations who are not included in the Small Nations Games programme, will also be funded accordingly, he said.

Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco also spoke about new projects this year, which include the Valletta Museum which will be housed at the old MOC headquarters which is being refurbished. He also mentioned the Adventure Park which has the full support of the government and the idea of the MOC’s marketing commission being high-powered. It consists of Julian Pace Bonello, Joe Cassar, Pippo Psaila, David Azzopardi and Dr Kyril Micallef Stafrace.

Director of Sport Pippo Psaila also revealed yesterday morning that the Maltese contingent in Monaco will include a 16-year-old Maltese-Australian swimmer who is eligible to compete for Malta. “She is Lyn Scerri and her times indicate that she would have won two golds and four silver medals in the Andorra Games,” he said.

Psaila added that the table-tennis women’s contingent might also include a non-resident Maltese girl, while the male team will again consist of Simon Gerada and Andrejz Makowski. He also referred to the re-generation of interest in swimming after Angela Galea’s gold medal success in the Andorra Games in 2005.

Asked what he would predict for the Monaco Games, Psaila said he was convinced that Malta will do very well in these Games. “Despite the difficult programme where shooting and women’s basketball have been left out this time, I can safely say we will end up either fourth or fifth. I predict we will win nine gold medals and that is obviously a better result than that achieved in Andorra,” he stated.