Platinum for waterpolo team

The Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) honoured the country’s top performers in 2015 during a gala night held at the Corinthia Palace Hotel in Attard last night.

The Platinum Award again stole much of the limelight and this year there were four nominees for the prestigious prize – the men’s waterpolo national team, snooker players Tony Drago and Brian Cini, and the tenpin bowling selection that represented Malta at the Mediterranean Championships.

It was no surprise that Karl Izzo’s waterpolo team received the top award after their historic qualification to the European Waterpolo Championship, to be held in Serbia next month.

Snooker duo Drago and Cini were recognised for their impressive run at the European Team Championships, held in Malta earlier this year. They managed to reach the final, only to be beaten by eventual winners Ireland.

The bowling selection at the Mediterranean Challenge Cup also collected a Platinum Award after winning four medals in Chania, Crete.

Team Malta, formed by Mark Spiteri, Mauro Anastasi, Sue Abela and Tiziana Carannante, returned home with two gold, one silver and one bronze medal to consolidate the country’s status as the most successful nation in the history of the Mediterranean Championships.

For Abela, this was her third straight Platinum success.

The bowling veteran received further recognition after winning the Gold Award for her triumph in the All Events category at the Mediterranean Challenge Cup.

Track and field athletes Kevin Moore, Charlotte Wingfield and Rebecca Gorrieri, racing driver Rodney Gatt, the women’s squash national team and bodybuilder Luke Debono were also gold medal award winners. They received the trophy from special guest Sandro Campagna, Italy’s waterpolo coach.

During yesterday’s ceremony, Paralympic athlete Moses Azzo-pardi and former football referee Joe Cassar Naudi were inducted into the MOC Hall of Fame.

Table tennis player Azzopardi represented Malta in the 1960 Paralympics which were held in Rome where he won a silver medal in the singles event.

Cassar Naudi was one of the longest-serving football administrators after a career spanning over 65 years. He qualified as a football referee in 1945 before going on to be elected as Malta Football Referees Association president in 1956.

He was awarded the FIFA badge in 1964-65 and controlled a number of international matches.

The winners

Platinum award

Mark Spiteri, Mauro Anastasi, Sue Abela, Tiziana Carannante (all bowling); Tony Drago and Brian Cini (snooker); waterpolo national team.

Gold award

Rodney Gatt (horse racing); Sue Abela (bowling); women’s squash national team; Kevin Moore (athletics), Charlotte Wingfield (athletics); Rebecca Gorrieri (athletics); Luke Debono (bodybuilding).

Silver Award

Golf team; Adam Vella (wrestling); Mark Spiteri (bowling); men’s squash national team; Angelo Borg (table football); Charles Aquilina (table football); Massimo Cremona (table football); women’s gymnastics national team;

Giselle Camilleri (athletics); Janet Richard (athletics); Andrew Chetcuti (swimming); Elaine Genovese (tennis); Katrina Sammut (tennis); David Farrugia, Nazzareno Farrugia (bowls); Anton Cuschieri (pool).

Bronze award

Weightlifting national team; Gianluca Barbara (taekwondo); Marie Claire Aquilina (cycling); Maurice Formosa (cycling); Gary Giordimaina (wrestling); Mauro Anastasi (bowling); Valletta Lions (table football); Claire Azzopardi (gymnastics); Suzanne Buttigieg (gymnastics); William Vella (target shooting);

Rebecca Sare (athletics); Michael Umnov (swimming); 4x100 freestyle relay team (swimming); beach handball national team; women’s basketball national team; Elaine Genovese (tennis); Matthew Asciak (tennis); Marcon Bezzina (judo); Jeremy Saywell (judo); Joanna Camilleri (judo); Georgi Atanasov (judo); Murman Korchilava (judo); Jessica Pace (table tennis); Viktoria Luchenkova (table tennis).

Special award

Kieran Mifsud (weightlifting); U-21 national team (football); Miguel Falzon (pool); U-23 pool national team; Sara Xuereb, Matthew Magro, Kurt Attard, Edward Xuereb (all pool); bowling youth team; Colette Sultana (squash);

Kijan Sultana (squash); Rachid Chouhal (athletics); Matthew Abela (badminton);Nigel Degaetano (badminton); Victoria Schulties (sailing); Helene Pellicano (tennis); junior waterpolo national team; Keith Galea (triathlon); Hannah Pace (triathlon); Danica Bonello Spiteri (triathlon); Gianluca Azzopardi Spiteri (target shooting); hockey national team; John Debono (bodybuilding); Raymond Cassar (bodybuilding).