The Malta Canoe Racing Club recently held its Annual General Meeting at the club premises in Msida which was attended by club members as well as Federation President Peter Borg Costanzi and Treasurer Damian Schembri.
2010 marked many firsts for the small club who introduced surf ski’s to the Maltese islands thanks to a very generous donation from the Dubai Surf ski & Kayak club.
Chris Camilleri, left, put these to use, being the first Maltese to compete in the Dubai Shamaal last December.
During his trip, Camilleri was also offered another donation on single and double skis which are currently being negotiated.
Children sessions increased in numbers after small sessions were held with Stella Maris College over the summer with some of the youths maintaining the training throughout the rest of the year. Kayaking was also introduced to the SkolaSport programme which is run by Hungarian coach Kata Pongracz.
Athlete performances during local and international races have improved on all levels with races being included in part of other sporting festivities such as the 31 March Regatta.
The club also participated in races organized by the Msida Local Council as part of their feast celebrations.
Four club athletes also competed in the Sicilian Championships during which numerous medals were won as well as the MOC-CONI Friendship Games organised in November.
This was also a debut race for many athletes who started kayaking earlier in the summer and their performances show they are on the right path.
The AGM also marked the last session of the clubs committee which consisted of Chris Camilleri, Nicki Borg Costanzi and Ryan Schembri; however shortly after stepping down from their posts, they were re-elected with Camilleri as President, Borg Costanzi as Secretary and Schembri as Vice President.
The committee thanked its members for their help throughout 2010 as well as the Malta Canoe Federation for its continuous support in helping develop kayak racing in Malta. The first event on the calendar is a children’s sprint race on 26 March. For further information, one may send an email to [email protected]