Malta’s young 49ers Sebastian Ripard and Benji Borg have been doing their utmost since last year to try and qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games on their own merit.

They have just been to an event in Weymouth in England which will be the venue for the sailing events next year. There, they finished a creditable 19th which they consider as a great achievement.

Addressing a news conference at the La Valette Club lounge at the Malta International Airport yesterday at midday, Ripard said that there will now be two events in which sailors have the chance to qualify - 21 boats from among 40 participating countries. “Having finished 19th in Weymouth was a great result for us, but with Benji injured, we cannot take part in next month’s event in Australia, where the first 15 will earn automatic qualification for the 2012 Games.

“However, there will still be a chance at a Croatia event next May when we hope Benji would have recovered completely. It is a great opportunity for us to be at next year’s Games,” he said.

Ripard added that in Croatia, only the first five will qualify, of course not including the 15 already qualified from the Australia event and the others who qualify automatically. “This is what makes us optimistic of making it to the Olympics. We feel we have made a lot of progress since coach Kolja Volkers of Germany came to Malta,” he added.

Benji Borg suffered his injury at the Italian national championships. “It was a second injury to me knee - I tore my cartilage - and this time it was even worse than the previous one. Now I’m hoping to be back on the water by late January or early February to get back to serious training,” said Borg.

The youngster also said that had he opted for surgery, that would have ruled him out of action for six months. “That was no option as I would have had no time to get back my perfect condition - it would have ruined my dream,” he said.

The two youngsters will be preparing assiduously for the Croatia event. “There are other regattas before Croatia and we are planning to stay here till March and then travel to Spain, before Miami, Palma, the Netherlands, England and Germany. In such events we would be able to gauge our progress.

“Moreover, during January and February we are hoping to have some international teams training here in Malta with us. That will serve in good stead for us and for them as the conditions to be found here are very similar to those which we encountered in the recent event in Weymouth,” said Borg.

German coach Volkers is also very optimistic that his young sailors will achieve their aim. “They are two very motivated young guys. I met them last year in Poland and now I have been here for the past 12 days which I must describe as excellent. The conditions were very good for sailing and we had almost five hours a day on the water. They have a lot of potential and I am obviously very happy with their progress.

Volers has now been coaching the Maltese duo for almost a year and it is obvious that the results have paid off - among the Maltese youngsters’ achievements were a 13th place at the Youth world championships and almost third at the Italian national championships, that is, until the team had to pull out due to Benji’s injury.

Volkers has been a successful coach in the past. In fact, at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, he had coached Amelie Lux to a silver medal in windsurfing, while at the 2008 Games in Beijing, he coached Jan and Hannes Peckolt to a bronze in the 49ers class.

At the 2005 world championships, he led Amelie Lux to second place in the women’s Mistral event, while he had coached Marcus Baur and Ma Groy to a third place in the 49er class a year earlier.

At the European Championship, in 2004, he had coached Marcus Baur and Mar Groy to first place in the 49er class, and three years later, Jan and Hannes Peckolt to second place in the same class.

Among the sponsors of the two sailors are Malta International Airport (MIA) whose Corporate Social Responsibility Policy concentrates on a commitment to Maltese society. Over the years, the company has sustained initiatives focusing on culture, sport, the environment and tourism.

MIA chose to support Borg and Ripard for their professional attitude to their discipline and their unwavering commitment to succeed.

The Sebastian Ripard and Benji Borg 49ers project has been financed so far by EC Language Schools, MIA, Farsons, private individuals and companies. “It’s nice to see everyone willing to help,” said an elated Sebastian Ripard.