Only a few days remain before the start of the 14th Games for European Small States being held in Liechtenstein next week. Malta will be represented by 61 athletes from nine disciplines at these Games. Henry Brincat has interviewed Maltese Olympic Committee Director of Sport Mark Cutajar about this sporting adventure – his second since he was appointed in his post.

For Mark Cutajar, it will be the second time that he will be leading a Maltese sporting contingent at the Games for European Small States. But in realistic terms, he says it is the first real occasion that he is in charge.

He explained: “Two years ago, I had been in the post only a few months before the Cyprus Games. Everything was new to me. I knew no one from among the other nations and it was difficult at first until I got accustomed to it.

I was faced with a lot of problems such as injuries to several athletes, especially those in the athletics sector.

Asked to make a comparison with these 2011 Games, he added: “For these Games it is somewhat different. I started working with my team, which includes Julian Pace Bonello, Dr Lucienne Attard, Adele Muscat and Vince Scicluna, two years ago, soon after the end of the Cyprus Games. Believe me, we worked very hard and we went through all that was necessary to make sure we would be able to present a competitive team. In fact, I am very proud to say today that our athletes are in top condition.”

Cutajar is a very optimistic person, but at the same time he is also cautious because, as usual, he is facing problems. “Every day something crops up. The last one was the doubt raised by the Scots with regards to the participation of cyclist David Millar. It is a really big headache, but I am more than satisfied to have an almost ‘completely fit’ list of athletes. The only problems today concern two squash players, Theresa Camilleri and Mike Fiteni. The former will be undergoing a fitness test which I am convinced she will pass, while Fiteni is injured and might miss the opening two matches.”

Asked to say what will happen this time with regards to the winning of medals, Cutajar said: “There is no doubt we will be missing a good number of medals. This is simply because there is no clay pigeon shooting, sailing and basketball in Liechtenstein. In those events in Cyprus, we had won three golds, two silver and one bronze medal – six out of the total of 21 medals won. I think that had there been these three disciplines included next week, we would have been ascertained of three other golds considering that Chetcuti is passing through his peak, Maya Podesta (saling) is also gaining momentum while the basketball girls still seem to be a superior outfit to the others. But if we can manage the same number of gold medals we obtained in Cyprus, we should also be satisfied.”

Asked about the chances of our athletes obtaining medals, Cutajar was cautious. He said: “Well, what I am sure of is that our boys and girls will all be competitive. What we are expecting of them is at least to be close to a medal, if not winning it. In athletics and swimming, we also expect our athletes to register personal bests, if not winning the medals.

“The enormous number of foreigners will certainly leave an impact on our positions. And there is also the Montenegro factor that will not help our cause. These new members are presenting a token team of around 30-35 athletes, but they will all be potential gold medal winners, especially in volleyball and athletics.

“They will certainly pose no threat to Cyprus or Iceland as to who will be at the top of the medals table at the end of the Games. But in two years’ time, when they will field a full squad, they will certainly make their presence felt.”

Asked to explain his stance on the foreigners eligible for these Games, Cutajar said: “The GSSE have grown out of proportion. There is no longer the scope to develop the talents of locally-bred athletes, as participating countries nowadays field an enormous number of foreigners in their quest to win as much medals as possible. They do this because it helps them to win sponsorship contracts – it is a financial boost for them. I believe that Malta should consider its future participation if such a situation persists.”

He added that apart from all that, he thinks the GSSE have helped the countries to get better organised. “I must say that here were also some really positive aspects such as the improvement of existing facilities and the construction of new ones wherever these Games were held.”

Cutajar is also of the opinion that the number of disciplines should be increased. “I believe that two popular Olympic sports such as shooting and basketball should be a must in every edition. But if we had to add football and waterpolo, it would become very expensive for the organising country, although such team sports should boost attendances at the Games, making them much more intresting,” he said.

Then he went on to make predictions about our athletes in every discipline.

Starting with Squash, he said both the men’s team and the women’s team should be competing for the gold medals. “Some of our men and women are world ranked, but we still have to see what the others will have on offer. We know they will be including several foreigners, but little do we know about their real strength,” he added.

Cutajar seemed to be very optimistic about the athletics squad. He said: “Our only disappointment is the fact that we will be missing Nikolai Portelli who had won three medals in Cyprus. His long-term injury did not permit him to make it in time for these Games. But the squad members in Liechtenstein should obtain very good results. Diane Borg is breaking national records quite frequently and stands a chance for a medal. Lisa Bezzina has had good times for the longer distances while the relay teams are very competitive. Kevin Moore, who has an impressive 46.13 seconds for the 400m, is certainly a good medal prospect and should be a valuable asset for the relay team. Rebecca Camilleri has the best personal best among all athletes while Mark Herrera has the third personal best in the 1,500m. Considering everything, even if there will be strong competition, especially from the Cypriots, I think all athletes stand a chance for a medal.

“In swimming, I was pleased to see our swimmers gaining their MQSs much earlier than they did two years ago. The Association is hoping for some good results in the relays, but Nicola Muscat and Andrew Chetcuti should also be close to the medal zone in the individual events.

“Even in tennis, we seem to have better chances than two years ago. Since his arrival, Nick Camilleri has shown that he has the expected level. We have Kim Cassar seeded No. 2 in the women’s singles and that shows everything. Moreover, I feel that along with national champion Matthew Asciak and Elena Jetcheva, we can also do well in the doubles and mixed doubles events. I will not be surprised if our lads manage to win two medals – it has been a long time we did that in tennis.

“In Table-Tennis, Simon Gerada has been playing professionally these past two years while Daniel Bajada has had a more or less good inaugural season in Sicily with the Fiaccola team. Lu Peng Fei should be quite strong in the singles, and with Jessica Pace, should be competitive in the doubles.

“In shooting, cycling and beach volley, I must say they are all well prepared. The shooters have also been abroad for training as there is no Prone rifle range locally. It will only be their second experience at these Games. The cycling team also left a good impression in Sicily recently and they could be close to the medal zone, while for the beach volley girls, like in the case of shooting, it will be their second experience. However, they have undergone a 15-day training camp in Serbia recently. I had been skeptic about their participation, but the Association has assured us that they will be competitive.

“Finally the judokas. Everyone knows of the abilities of Joanna Camilleri and Marcon Bezzina, both former gold medal winners. They are both experienced athletes. Bezzina underwent an operation, but has been declared completely fit. Brent Law and Jeremy Saywell are also expected to figure well.”

Cutajar said he had made it clear to all athletes that they will not be going to Liechtenstein for a holiday. “We are going there with a clear conscience. We did everything within our means in an effort to see our athletes producing their very best in the name of the country. I appeal to the athletes to compete in an honourable manner to achieve the desired results,” he said.

Cutajar thanked all officials, who worked voluntarily to prepare the athletes. “My biggest thanks obviously goes to the technical commission, especially Julian Pace Bonello, Dr Lucienne Attard, Adele Muscat and Vince Scicluna. Without their help and support, it would have been impossible to prepare a competitive team,” he concluded.