The Malta Olympic Committee delegation took part in the Games' General Assembly in which Malta presented the official programme of the games that will be held in four years' time in Malta.
The MOC delegation is headed by President Julian Pace Bonello, Secretary General Joe Cassar and Sports Director Ivan Balzan. The Presidency of the General Assembly will now pass over to Andorra who will organise the 19th edition in two years' time.
Present in Montenegro for this General Assembly was a delegation from the Faroe Islands who are looking forward in making part of the GSSE family. However this will not be an easy task for the Faroe Islands as they do not have an Olympic Committee, which is officially affiliated with the International Olympic Committee.
Although there are some established federations in the Islands, like football and athletics, an official Olympic Committee is still lacking.
A novity was the request by the Vatican to participate in these game, and in fact four athletes are present in Budva to take part in the men's and women's 5,000 and 10,000m. However the General Assembly turned down the Vatican's request, basically for the same reason for the refusal of Faroe Islands to take part, and the four athletes made the trip to Montenegro in vain.
MOC gives first reaction on disciplines selected for 2023
Later in the afternoon the Malta Olympic Committee delegation gave a press conference outside the quarters reserved for the Maltese athletes in the athlete's village in Budva. Ivan Balzan gave a list of the ten sporting disciplines that the Malta Olympic Committee presented to the General Assembly and which will be competed in 2023 in Malta.
The events are Athletics, Swimming, Judo, Basketball, Tennis, Squash, Sailing, Rugby Sevens, Table-Tennis, and Shooting.
President Julian Pace Bonello said that it was very hard to choose these ten disciplines as inevitably some others had to be left out. Long discussions were held with various associations and even with government officials before the final list was proposed. However he hopes that these will be approved by the next General Assembly which will be held in Andorra.
Pace Bonello also said that the MOC made a proposal to the Assembly to introduce in the 20th edition in Malta, two events reserved for Paralympics athletes, one in athletics and one in swimming the two major Olympic sports.
He said that the first reaction from the delegates was a positive one and he hoped that this proposal will be accepted too.