The prestigious Eurasia Cup Wheelchair Dance Championships were recently held in St Petersburg, Russia, where Malta was represented by Steven Fenech and Mandy Ghio. This couple has reached the finals in many competitions recently and this was no exception. They obtained 3rd place in the Latin American Class 2 Championships and 5th place in the Ballroom Class 2 Championships. Mandy and Steve would like to thank their sponsors for their encouragement and support, namely Corinthia Hotels and Lufthansa Airlines.

During the Easter holidays Mandy and Steve again represented Malta in the Holland Dans Spektakel. The couple, who were competing against the best dancers in the world, were placed 6th in the Class 2 Ballroom Championships and 7th in the Class 2 Latin American Championships, for Wheelchair Dancing. With 19 countries taking part in the event, it is the biggest competition in the world for wheelchair dancers. The committee for Wheelchair Dance of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has said that the second biggest competition in the world is now the Malta Open Dance Spectacular.

Unfortunately, Malta is not a member of the IPC due to the fact that there is no official Federation for disabled sport in Malta and therefore we cannot host the World or European Championships. A spokesperson for the Malta Wheelchair DanceSport Association said: “It is a pity that so few Maltese who are disabled take part in competitive sports (whatever the sport), as it enables them mix with people from other countries, make friends and learn through sport. The association is also looking for able-bodied dancers to partner wheelchair dancers.”