Luke Bezzina will be travelling to Brazil for the Olympic Games next month following confirmation that he will be replacing fellow track and field sprinter Kevin Moore in Team Malta.
Last week, Bezzina was only named as a provisional member in the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) contingent for Rio after first-choice Moore was ruled out after failing a doping test.
In a news conference to unveil Team Malta for the Games, MOC president Julian Pace Bonello told reporters that Bezzina had been earmarked to fill Moore’s void but his place would only be confirmed following more meetings between the technical staff and the athlete himself.
After discussions, held earlier this week, Bezzina was named as the seventh member of the team. In Rio, he will compete in the 100m heats.
Charlotte Wingfield will be the other track and field athlete in the squad that also features swimmers Andrew Chetcuti and Nicola Muscat, shooters William Chetcuti and Eleonor Bezzina and weight-lifter Kyle Micallef.
Team Malta will reach Rio in two groups with shooters Chetcuti and Bezzina leaving on Saturday and the rest of the contingent on August 3.
The Olympic Games get under way on August 5 with the opening ceremony at the mythical Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Swimmer Chetcuti will carry the Maltese flag in the athletes’ parade.