Snowboarder Jessica Lochtenberg will be the first Maltese athlete to represent Malta in Winter Sports competitions.

Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco and Joseph Cassar, President and Secretary General of the Maltese Olympic Committee, have met with Jessica Lochtenberg who was accompanied by her parents and cousin at the headquarters of the MOC and discussed the participation of the MOC at the European Winter Youth Olympic Festival which will be held in Slask-Beskidi in Poland in February 2009.

15 year old Jessica, who resides in Australia, is presently training in Utah, USA in preparation for these games, which will see about 1,600 athletes from all over Europe competing in nine sports disciplines.

Jessica will take part in snowboarding and will compete in the Snowcross and Parallel Slalom, both competitions being held in Szczyrk GON.

MOC President congratulated Jessica for her achievements in these disciplines and augured that she will perform honourably for Malta in these prestigious games.

Secretary General Joseph Cassar, who will accompany Jessica and her coach and technician to these games, will act as Chef the Mission. He thanked Jessica and her parents for their interest in this venture and said that he was confident that more Maltese will be joining the Maltese Olympic Winter Sports movement, with the aim of participating in the Vancouver Olympics as well as the first Winter Youth Olympic Games which will be held in Innsbruck Austria in 2012.