More medals were expected from the Maltese athletes who took part in the Games of the Small States of Europe in Monaco in the first week of June.

The total medal haul reached 30, but only four of them were gold, and it also meant eight fewer medals than the number obtained in Andorra two years ago. That time, there had been seven gold medals.

Is it a step back?

The Malta Olympic Committee does not think so, giving a number of reasons as to why the Maltese team was not as successful as it was in 2005. First of all, the MOC says, some of the sports disciplines contested in Monaco were different from those staged in Andorra, and Malta had a stronger base of valid athletes in the competitions held two years ago. Secondly, Malta did not contest in all of the competitions.

This is true, but at the same time, they are not good enough reasons for Malta having failed to live up to the pre-Games expectations which, after all, were the same expectations the MOC led the Maltese fans to have.

For one thing, why is Malta still so lacking in the two major sports disciplines that are featured in every edition of the Games – athletics and swimming? No gold medals were won here, and it is hard to imagine that matters will be different in two years’ time. After every GSSE, we hear of plans and counter-plans as to how the results will improve, but this never seems to materialise.

It is also likely that the situation will become worse in the future if, as expected, Montenegro will become the ninth nation to take part in the games, open to European countries with a population of less than one million inhabitants. As things stand now, Iceland, Cyprus and Luxembourg are the “bigger” among the “small” nations, in the sense that their medals haul is by far much larger than that of the other five nations taking part in the games.

Cyprus, who will host the games in 2009, won 92 medals including 34 gold, while Iceland picked up 76 medals (31 gold) and Luxembourg took home a total of 79 medals, of which 21 were gold. Monaco finished fourth with a total of 52 medals, 19 of them gold, with Malta a distant fifth.

With Montenegro joining the Games, it will become harder for Malta to improve its tally. Montenegro is a strong nation in sporting terms – compared to the other eight, and even in the overall international sphere in some sport areas – and could easily fit in the top three places of the medals table, meaning that Malta’s share of the honours will become much smaller.

Now that the dust has settled, the MOC will analyse what took place in Monaco, and build on what went right while trying to correct what went wrong. A number of questions need to be asked.

For example, is the participation of the so-called “foreigners” a short-term solution that is worth it, or is it discouraging local talent from pushing harder, knowing that if a “foreigner” with a better background is found, the place will be his or hers automatically (only to discard Malta once the Games are over)?

Should we still go for the experienced athletes who are well beyond their peak instead of giving younger ones a chance to participate? Is the financial backing that Maltese sport is receiving enough? Are local athletes motivated enough and is the MOC itself providing the right motivation for them to improve their performances? If methods that have been used have not yielded the desired results, is there a willingness to change?

Of course, we know what our limitations are and nobody expects miracles. But we are sure that with some extra effort, with better planning and with a stronger determination, our athletes will be able to obtain better results.