Bank of Valletta has once again supported the International One Metre (IOM) Open National Championship 2011 organised by the Malta Model Boat Association and held at the Royal Malta Yacht Club in Ta’ Xbiex. This year’s national championships saw 22 competitors from six countries compete in 28 races over four days.

The roots of the MMBA can be traced back to 1987 when a few enthusiasts were racing one metre boats in Malta. The association was officially formed in 1994 to promote the sport of remote controlled yacht racing in Malta. National and International events were held culminating in the World Championships held in 1999.

Former world champion Graham Bantock from the UK had the best performances over the four days winning no less than 24 of the 28 races. First among the Maltese was Christian Aquilina who placed third overall.

Charles Azzopardi, Manager Marketing at Bank of Valletta presented the trophies to the winners and said “We are proud to be associated with an event that sees Maltese and foreign sailors compete on our shores. This is the second consecutive year that Bank of Valletta is supporting this event and we are pleased to see an increase in the number of participants over the previous year. We are also pleased to see our Maltese participants placing well in these competitions which auger well for the future of this sport.”.

The event organiser and club secretary, Vinnie Zammit, stated in his closing address that it was encouraging to see that in each one of the last four years the number of competitors has increased, as has the number of the countries represented. Next year promises to be an even greater success, with several top European sailors already expressing their intention to participate.