Bonello MAWF president for another term
The Malta Amateur Wrestling Federation (MAWF) has just held its annual general meeting at its headquarters in Valletta during which Simon Bonello was again confirmed as the organisation's president with a unanimous vote. He has been at the helm of the...
The Malta Amateur Wrestling Federation (MAWF) has just held its annual general meeting at its headquarters in Valletta during which Simon Bonello was again confirmed as the organisation's president with a unanimous vote. He has been at the helm of the federation since its foundation in 1969.
In his customary annual address, Bonello remarked that the federation had endured a tough year as a string of events had prevented Maltese wrestlers from competing in scheduled international competitions.
The national team twice had to cancel its participation abroad because the dates coincided with the Referendum and the general elections. To make matters worse, an international tournament in Cyprus was called off after war broke out in Iraq and the Canadian Federation postponed a tournament because of the outbreak of the SARS virus.
Despite these setbacks, the federation still managed to have its athletes in to two tournaments in Spain and Belgium. Almeria was the venue of the competition in Spain. This city will host the next Mediterranean Games, in 2005.
In Belgium, young Jason Zammit won the silver medal after a series of impressive performances that saw him making it all the way to the final.
Not all was gloom and doom though. This year, the world wrestling body rewarded the local federation for its sterling work in the promotion of freestyle wrestling by donating a full-size mat. This will be used for the first time during this month's international championships.
Members present for the AGM then engaged in a healthy discussion on how to strengthen the operations of the federation. It was opined that a new club has to be established in the southern parts of the island and that the federation should strive to introduce an active website. It is envisaged that a new club will be up and running in Marsascala by the end of this month.
Meanwhile, Pierre Cassar retained his post as secretary general and Alfred Ellul Mercer is again the treasurer. Other members of the committee include Jesmond Giordimaina, Paul Farrugia, Louis Micallef, Anthony Darmanin, Albert Pace Taliana and Lawrence Attard.