'Number of volunteers in Malta GSSE impressive'

Andorra officials have been im-pressed by the number of volunteers assisting with this year's Games in Malta.

Eric Bartolomè, executive director of the GSSE 2005 in Andorra, yesterday told The Times that they will try to take a leaf out of the MOC's copybook in a bid to attract many volunteers to their Games.

"I have been surprised to learn that some 1,000 volunteers have offered their services for the 2003 Games," Bartolomè said.

"It will be very hard for us to attract so many people to help during the Games in Andorra because of our small population.

"Having said that, we will do our utmost to lure young people to act as volunteers. I am hoping that the GSSE 2005 will elicit a sense of pride among our people so that more volunteers will come forward."

At the GSSE 2005 launching at the New Dolmen Hotel yesterday, high-ranking officials from the Andorra 2005 organising committee promised to deliver a great Games.

Asked for his opinion on the level of organisation in Malta, Bartolomè said every country has it own distinct approach to the Games. He reckons that the distances between the athletes' hotel and different venues in Malta are not as short as many had expected.

"The distances between the hotel and the venues are a bit long, perhaps. In Andorra, we want to ensure that the venues, with the exception of the shooting range, and the athletes' hotels are within walking distance of each other. That should not be a big problem because all the earmarked venues are concentrated in one zone," Bartolomè said.

Sailing and squash have been omitted from the Andorra 2005 sports programme as organisers opted to reinstate cycling, including mountain biking, taekwondo and beach volley.

Bartolomè said that cycling and beachvolley are very popular and their inclusion in the GSSE schedule should capture the interest of the young generation. Taekwondo got the organisers' nod as a reward for the hard work of their association.

Andorra last hosted the GSSE in 1991, only one year before neighbouring Spain staged the Olympic Games in Barcelona.

"A lot of things have changed since 1991," Bartolomè said.

"Our sports federations have gained more experience and improved their organisational know-how over the past decade. Their progress will ensure a better GSSE in 2005. The 1991 GSSE in Andorra were a success, also thanks to a boost we received by Barcelona staging the Olympics in 1992. In 2005, we will do everything by ourselves and there is a bold commitment to make them better," the GSSE 2005 executive director said.

Pere Cervòs, Andorra's Minister of Education, youth and sports, identified the GSSE 2005 as the country's most important event for the next five years.

"Andorra 2005 will be a great sporting celebration, an expression of our culture and the unique identity of our country. The Andorra government has pledged its full support for the Games," Cervòs said.

The exact dates of the GSSE 2005 have not been announced but Bartolomè said these are likely to be held between the last week of May and the first week of June.