The Mediterranean Friendship Games came to a close on Saturday night with Sicily declared winners following the completion of the final events of the two-day competition.
Yesterday, the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) analysed the performance of Team Malta at a meeting with journalists before the contingent's return to Malta.
Lino Farrugia Sacco, the president of the MOC, said the Games were a good learning experience for the participating federations.
"If one had to analyse the performance of our athletes in Sicily, there have been some positives as well as negatives but this is the case in all the international events we compete in," the MOC head said.
"However I believe that, apart from the results, these Games have been a valuable experience for our associations as they not only had the chance to field their athletes against top-level opponents, but have also created new partnerships with their Sicilian counterparts.
"Our main aim for these Games was to strengthen the ties between the two countries and I think this has been achieved. Furthermore, I believe that our association officials have learned a lot in terms of athletes' preparation and organisation and I'm sure that this experience will enable them to bolster their set-up in Malta."
Turning his sights to the showings of Maltese athletes, the MOC head praised the efforts of the bowling, triathlon and pool teams.
"There have been some positive surprises for us here," Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said.
"In bowling, especially, I didn't anticipate such a strong showing from our players, particularly in the team event. In triathlon, I was impressed with our female triathletes who excelled against a very strong field while our pool players showed tremendous fighting spirit to beat the Sicily team."
"However, there were also some negative points," the MOC chief added.
"I believe that, in certain disciplines, our associations should have selected stronger teams. To this end, we're determined to have more say in the teams' selection is for future editions. It's true these are friendship games but there is the country's sporting status at stake and we have to do our best to enhance our reputation."
Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco said the MOC was already looking forward to next year's edition and promised that more Maltese federations will be given the opportunity to experience these Games.
"The Friendship Games will be held in Malta next year and we have every intention of maintaining our policy of picking those federations that have few opportunities to take part in international events," he said.
"In Sicily, we encountered several logistical problems. In the coming weeks, we will start working on the 2010 Games (to be held between April and May) to ensure a smoother organisation compared to this year."