“The colours of the tracksuits, and leisure uniforms were chosen specifically for the Maltese athletes. Fresh colours in line with the national colours.” These were the comments of Pippo Psaila, Director of Sport and chef de mission of the Malta contingent bound for the 12th Edition of the Games for Small States of Europe when athletes paraded the GSSE apparel during the media conference held on Tuesday.
Mr Psaila emphasised that the colours and style were chosen specifically to help Maltese athletes feel at ease in particular when one is expecting rather warm weather in Monaco during the games.
The range of leisure clothing varies from the grey bermuda shorts for men athletes to the red shorts for women. These complement the white and red polo shirts to be worn by all athletes. The MOC emblem with the words “Monaco 2007” is embroidered on all official leisure wear.
Bocci national team in Italy
Thanks to the technical assistance programme currently existing between the Maltese Olympic Committee and Italian counterparts – CONI, Malta’s national bocci team is currently in Italy to wind up its final phase of preparation in view of the 12th GSSE.
Upon arrival in Monza, the contingent led by Victor Zahra, president of Federazzjoni Klabbs tal-Bocci were guests of the major of Bellusco to be followed by the first phase of training schedule at the Bocciofila Polisportiva di Bellusco.
The training programme together with official matches against Italian counterparts lasts until Saturday when an official meeting with Pietro Brucciani, official of the Federazione Italiana Bocce is due to be held.
Deputy Secretary of FKB, Grazio Cassar and national coach, Arthur Darmanin are accompanying the team made up of David Farrugia, Joseph Demanuele, Reno Farrugia and Melvin Borg.
Charles Camenzuli, Director of Media & PR* * *
MIA Olympic Special – What’s On
On Thursday on TVM at 5pm, Friday on E22 at 9pm (RPT), Sunday on E22 at 10am (RPT) and Monday on E22 at 2.30pm (RPT), the programme will feature the following:
GSSE Section – Gymnastics
The Games of the Small States of Europe will be taking place from 4-9 June in Monaco and one of the disciplines that will be included will be Gymnastics.
Find how the preparations for the Gymnastics team are going.
Featured Event – Badminton National Championships
Between Sunday 22 April and today, the Badminton National Championships are being held at St Martin’s College. These championships featured five categories, namely Men’s and Ladies’ Singles, Men’s and Ladies’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
Highlight Events
Malta’s national airline Air Malta became one of the main sponsors of the Maltese Olympic Committee.
On signing the agreement, Air Malta renewed the close relationship which always existed between the two entities; a press conference was held to this effect.
The MOC also launched the official kits for the forthcoming GSSE Monaco 2007 games and the visuals which will be used for a billboard campaign promoting these games, the MOC and sport; find out more in this feature.
Highlights will also include a Air Pistol and Rifle series which was held on Saturday at the Bidnija Range and an Athletics meeting held during the past weekend at the Marsa Sports Ground. * * *
Athletes’ Highlights
RAYMOND CACCIATTOLO
Age: 52 years
Sport: Shooting
Discipline: Air-pistol 10m match
Club: Malta Sport Shooting Federation
Sport Career
• Started shooting air-pistol in 1998 and participated in air-pistol shooting competitions both locally and abroad including GSSE – San Marino (2001), Commonwealth Games – Manchester (2002), GSSE – Malta (2003)
• Won the Malta Air-Pistol Championships three times as well as many other local competitions
Lawrence Darmanin
Club: Malta Sport Shooting Federation
Age: 50 years
Profession: Company Director
Status: Married to Jose’Anne and has two children – Rebecca (23 years) and Andrè (21 years)
Sport: Olympic Air-Rifle Shooting, Olympic Prone 50m 0.22 rifle
Sport Career
• Started shooting air-rifle way back in 1996 and has participated in many air-rifle shooting competitions both locally and abroad
• Won the Malta Air-Rifle Championships four times in the last 10 years as well as many other major competitions locally
• Represented Malta in two GSSEs, namely in Liechtenstein in 1999 (the first time ever that Malta was represented in this sport) and in Malta in 2003. Also represented Malta for the first time in the European Air-gun Championships in Arnhem – The Netherlands in 1999 and obtained a score of 564/600 which is still a national record score to be obtained on foreign soil in a competition of this calibre
• Other important international competitions include participation in the German World Cup in 1999, the European Airgun Championships again in Germany in 2000 and in Greece in 2002. In 2001, qualified to compete in the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Bisley, England where apart from air-rifle, also represented Malta for the first time in the Olympic Match 0.22 Prone Rifle discipline with a score of 545/600, still a record for Malta
• During his years of training in Target Shooting, was coached by many famous coaches: in Malta by Ms Jahana Hakimova Russo – a multiple Junior Russian Champion and Mr Milan Noro a top Serbian Pistol Shooter
• In England was also coached in prone rifle shooting by the 1948 Olympic Gold Medallist in Prone rifle Shooting, Mr Arthur Cook from America. During a training camp in Serbia in 2003, was coached by ex-European Junior air-rifle champion, Ms Tamara Pejic under whose direction he obtained his personal best score of 588/600 in a competition in Serbia.
Martina Xuereb
Age: 15 years
Sport: Athletics – 400m
Club: Starmax AC
Started: 2000 Starmax AC
Job/Student status: Fifth former at Margaret Mortimer Girls’ Junior Lyceum
Hobbies/past times: reading, going out with friends, doing crafts
Personal bests
• 400m: 56.80s
• 800m: 2.18.39mins
Achievements
2003
• Fifth in 100m U/13, Crystal Palace
• Fourth in 200m U/13, Crystal Palace
2004
• Cadet national champion – 100m, 600m, long jump, shot put
• Championship record – long jump, shot put
• Cadet national record – 100m: 13.05s
• Cadet national record – 600m: 1.40.5mins
• National record – 4x100m U/16: 50.82s
• Silver medal – 80m, Tullamore, Ireland
• Bronze medal – 800m, Tullamore, Ireland
• Athlete of the Year (cadet)
2005
• Youth national champion – 100m
• Youth national record – 400m: 57.40s
• National record – 4x100m U/16: 49.32s
• Silver medal – 400m, 4x400m, GSSE Andorra
2006
• Youth national champion – 800m
• Youth national record – 400m: 56.80s
• Youth Athlete of The Year
• Fourth Ghazliet Sportivi Nazzjonali 2006 – U/17
• Gold medal – 4x400m, Xémes Jeux des Iles, Sicily
• Silver medal – 4x100m, Xémes Jeux des Iles, Sicily
• Bronze medal – 400m, Xémes Jeux des Iles, Sicily
• Gold medal – 300m, Fisec Games, Hungary
• Gold medal – 200m, Fisec Games, Hungary
• Silver medal – 800m, Fisec Games, Hungary
• Silver medal – 4x100m, Fisec Games, Hungary
• Best Technical Achievement, Fisec Games, Hungary
• Gold medal – 300m, European Kids’ Athletics Games, Czech Republic
• Gold medal – 4x60m, European Kids’ Athletics Games, Czech Republic
• Silver medal – 60m, European Kids’ Athletics Games, Czech Republic
• Technical Achievement – European Kids Athletics Games, Czech Republic
Martina Xuereb is a member of the MOC Elite Athlete Scheme which is sponsored by the Malta International Airport as part of the company’s ‘Supporting Malta’s Sport’ sponsorship policy