MOC Elite and Aspirant athletes Therese Mallia, Mario Bonello, and Nicolai Portelli left Malta to Italy on Thursday to take part in a training camp. The training camps are an integral part of the MOC Elite Athlete Scheme which is sponsored by MIA, official partners of the MOC.
These athletes have qualified for the forthcoming GSSE Monaco games and as part of their final preparations will be staying at the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) centre in Acqua Acetosa, where they will be meeting up with a coach and other Italian athletes in order to train with them.
The athletes will also have the opportunity to take part in a competition that is being held in Rieti over the weekend. The competition is expected to be one of a high level, since it is a Clubs League competition.
Participation in this competition will give the athletes the opportunity to hone their skills and experience similar competition that is expected in Monaco. Also joining the three MOC athletes are Neal Borg and Mario Debono.
Both Neal and Mario are very promising athletes who are aspiring to improve their personal bests. The training camp in Acqua Acetosa will come to a close on Wednesday 23 May when the athletes return to Malta to continue tapering in preparation for the games in Monaco.
The Maltese Olympic Committee Athlete Support Programme was established in 2001, as an important sports development initiative which has supported and provided funds to over 100 athletes from various individual Olympic Sports.
The objective of this scheme is to encourage gifted elite and aspirant athletes to commit themselves fully to their chosen sport and thus nurture their potential and performances, thus increasing Malta’s chances of winning medals.
These competitions and training camps are made possible with the assistance of the Athlete Support programmes of the Maltese Olympic Committee and also through Malta International Airport plc who are specifically supporting the MOC Athlete Support programmes for the Elite and Aspirant Elite athletes.