The Maltese Olympic Committee, today, officially named the contingent representing Malta at forthcoming Games of the Small States of Europe which will be held in Montenegro between the 27^th May and 1st June.

The shortlist of athletes was announced at a press conference held earlier on this morning at the Maltese Olympic Committee's Headquarters in the presence of officials, athletes, coaches and members of the media.

The MOC President Mr. Julian Pace Bonello will be accompanying the athletes, whilst Chef de Mission duties will be undertaken by Mr. Paul Sultana. 

Director of Sport Ivan Balzan confirmed that Malta will be taking part in eight disciplines which include Athletics, Basketball, Beach Volley, Judo, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis and Tennis. A total of 80 athletes will be fielded. A number of coaches and medical officials will also be forming part of the contingent to support the athletes throughout the Games.   Mr. Balzan continued to explain that preparations have been ongoing since Team Malta's return from the last Games and which were closely monitored by the Olympic Committee's Technical Commission. Mr. Balzan feels that Team Malta is well poised to bring home a good medal tally.

Chef de Mission Paul Sultana went on to explain Games logistics and announced that competitions will take place in the cities of Budvar, Bar, Tivat, Cetinje and Podgorica, Montenegro. This is the first time that Montenegro will be hosting these Games since it joined the GSSE family in 2009. Sultana also announced that a number of places on the charter flights are available for those wishing to support the Maltese contingent during the Games.   

A strong delegation of Sports Journalists, representing most the majority of Media houses, will be following closely the Maltese delegation. This was announced by Director of Media Maria Vella-Galea, who took the opportunity to appeal to journalists to ensure that a fair and unbiased report of proceedings is given throughout.  In addition to this, she also urged members of the public to support and follow Team Malta through the Committee's social media channels which will be constantly updated with the latest news.  

Towards the end of the conference MOC President Julian Pace Bonello declared shooter Gianluca Chetcuti as the contingent's flag bearer at the opening ceremony which will take place in the Old Town in Budva on Monday 27th May and presented Chetcuti with the Maltese flag.

MOC President Julian Pace Bonello concluded the press conference by thanking all those involved in the preparation for these Games. Since their inception in 1985, Malta has been present and has given some solid performances.  He stressed the importance of these games to Maltese athletes, since they provide an excellent opportunity for Maltese athletes to compete at an international level at par with other athletes.  

The following is the full list of athletes making up the Maltese contingent.

Athletics

Coaches

Mark Farrugia, Jivko Jetchev, Ivan Rozhnov

Basketball

Coaches

Angela Adamoli, Peter Paul Farrugia, Joseph Muscat, Roberto Ricchini

Beach Volley

Coach

Oskar Bjorlin

Judo

Coaches

Alexander Bezzina, Denis Braidotti

Shooting

Coaches

Francis Bugeja, John Mary Bugeja, Angelo Galea

Swimming

Coaches

David Bonello, Artem Goncharenko, Grant Kriztinger, Ioan Catalin Stan 

Table Tennis

Coaches

Mario Genovese, Johanna Grech

Tennis

Coach

Joseph Sciberras

For further queries please do not hestiate to contact Maria Vella-Galea, Director of Media & Public Relations on +356 9981 2345 or [email protected].