Twenty one foreign shooters, among them some former world champions, will be taking part in the Malta international Grand Prix next Sunday at the Malta Shooting Federation’s ranges in Bidnija.
Malta will be represented by three shooters – William Chetcuti, Nathan Lee Xuereb and newcomer to the sport Johan Xuereb who will be participating in the Category B.
Addressing a news conference yesterday, Salvu Portelli, MSSF president, said three of the foreign shooters had already arrived. The others are expected to be in Malta between today and tomorrow.
He added that the event is to be screened live on One TV – the first time that a shooting event was being televised in Malta. He thanked the station for taking such an initiative.
Jason Micallef, One TV managing director, said it was an honour for the company to be giving its support to the shooting federation. “It is a clear case that we do not just concentrate on transmissions concerning one sport. We are sure that there will be a lot of Maltese viewing the event on TV,” he added.
Chetcuti said the pre-Olympic event in London last week showed that the weather can play havoc, not just with him, but with all the shooters. “There were some difficulties, especially the rain and the cold. It certainly left its mark on everyone, considering the results. But in August it might be totally different,” he added.
Of the same opinion was Hakan Dahlby of Sweden, one of the top shooters taking part in the Malta event. The Sweden, who finished sixth in London, said: “At first it was a sunny day and I thought it was fantastic. But when the rains arrived, it was a completely different story. The cold weather was no fun at all.”
Also already in Malta is Simo Koylinen of Finland. He also attended yesterday’s news conference.
Arriving today will be the Italian national team including top shooters and former world champions Francesco D’Aniello, who finished second in London and Daniele Di Spigno, third.
The programme on Sunday starts at 9.30am. There will be four shooting squads and the 150 clays shoot should be over by 2.40pm. At 3pm, there will be the barrage final, followed by the presentation and the barrage final of the juniors category.