Malta fail in bid to lure top Aussie shooter Vella

Australia's Adam Vella, the world's number one Trap shooter, has rejected offers to compete for Malta at next year's Athens Olympics, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said yesterday.

Vella, 31, from Melbourne, ranked number one in Trap and Double Trap, revealed yesterday that he had been approached by senior sporting officials in Malta.

The first approach came before the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester where Vella won gold and silver for Australia.

"Before the Commonwealth Games, Malta hosted an event for European nations, including Italy, and they tried hard to get me to go for that," he said.

Vella agreed to compete on the condition that he was assured he could go back and shoot for Australia straightaway.

"I was prepared to go and do one competition for them."

When he realised he faced four years out of competition for Australia he withdrew.

"Once you get released from Australia you then have to wait four years before they take you back."

Following his success at the Commonwealth Games, Vella went on to win the World Cup final in September 2002 and another World Cup event in Perth at the beginning of 2003.

Those victories combined with another three silver medals in international competition earned him the world number one ranking in Trap and Double Trap ahead of Russell Mark and Michael Diamond.

More approaches followed and Vella revealed that he was one of six Australians targeted by Malta including athletes from Judo and Table Tennis.

"They are only a small country and I suppose they will do what they can to get good athletes. There was about six of us they were going after. I don't know how they went with the others but I didn't go."

The Malta Games of the Small States of Europe squad was officially announced last week. It includes Australian dual citizenship holders Wayne and Simon Gerada (table tennis), basketball player Mark Micallef and squash duo Joseph and Dianne Desira.

Vella's father was born in Malta but emigrated to Australia when he was five.

No big incentive

"I'm not going to give up my Australian citizenship to go and shoot a couple of competitions for them unless of course they come up with a good figure which they haven't so I will stay where I am," he said.

Adam's father, uncle and grandfather were all prominent shooters in the Frankston area. He is a cousin to Malta's top Trap shooter Frans Pace, who figured in the Sydney Olympics and forms part of 2003 GSSE team.

"They all enjoyed their shooting, they were passionate about it. Shooting has been in my family for a long time. They were all good club shooters and I was just lucky enough to go a bit further."

To make the Australian Olympic team for Athens, Vella must maintain his outstanding form against the superstars of Trap shooting Diamond, gold medallist at the past two Olympics, and Mark a gold medallist in Atlanta and a silver medallist in Sydney.