International Schoolsport Federation To hold table-tennis tournament in Malta next year

Malta Independent Saturday, 17 February 2007, 00:00 Last update: about 14 years ago

The International Schoolsport Federation (ISF) will be staging an international tournament next year in Malta with the possible participation of perhaps more than 400 players from at least 21 countries.

The event will be held between the end of March and the first week of April 2008 and is expected to be held at the Cottonera Sports Complex.

China and China Taipei, as well as Israel and Iran will be expected to be among the participants.

Malta, which has been accepted as a member of the Federation, will also be taking part.

Malta Students Sports Federation president David Azzopardi said yesterday that the world organisation was very glad to be staging the event in Malta. “Cyprus were originally the organisers, but they dropped out as they received no backing from their government. Malta has now been selected and we will be doing our best to try and attract sponsorship to cover the estimated Lm15,000 needed to host such a tournament. It will be the first of its kind in Malta with such a big participation,” said Azzopardi.

The MSSF president also said that Malta had become a member of the ISF since 2005. “Now we are also recognised by the Maltese Council for Sport (KMS) and this should go a long way towards having the Cottonera Sports Complex as the venue for the staging of the tournament which will be played over five days,” he said.

The ISF holds other sports events during the year. “For example, this year, we will be sending Maltese athletes to athletics and tennis events in France and Poland respectively. Such tournaments, as well as that planned for Malta next year, are for Under 17 students.

Presently in Malta are the general secretary of the ISF, Jan Coolen and John Arnold, head of the technical commission of table-tennis within the ISF.

Azzopardi said the MSSF does not yet have a table-tennis league for all schools. “At present we organise just a women’s league for students from Private secondary schools. In next year’s tournament Malta will be represented with two men’s and two women’s teams, that is the School teams and the national teams in each category. So we will be having a league for the final selection to be made,” he said.