Sport shooters deserve medals and honours

With reference to the articles by Lino Bugeja (March 3) and Antonio P. Briguglio (March 13) I would like to inform readers that the above-mentioned writers are misinforming and has no idea of what it takes to be a world class sports shooter.

First of all, I would like to tell them that sport shooting has nothing to do with hunting. To practise sport shooting, an athlete needs a totally different gun. The ammunition used for sport shooting is totally different and to practise his sport an athlete needs a sporting licence which, again, is different to that needed for hunting purposes.

I am saying this in order to ensure that hunting is not confused with sport shooting.

Yes, sport shooters deserved all the medals because they are true sportsmen and sportswomen that made us all Maltese proud of our nation.

Our athletes are the best sports ambassadors for our island because, through their participation in the various competitions, our national flag is being raised among the world's best sporting nations.

William Chetcuti managed to raise the Maltese flag all around the globe: Australia, Dubai, Belgrade, Cyprus, Manchester, San Marino, Germany, Spain, Hungary and Italy where he won medals. The national anthem was also played. Also in Australia, the Maltese national flag was raised when Rebecca Attard Madyson won the silver medal during the Commonwealth Games, last year.

In the past we had other shooters who made us proud of our nation, such as Wenzu Vella, Peppi Grech, Larry Vella, Horace Micallef, Frans Pace, Emanuel Abela and Emanuel Grima, among others.

To be an athlete of this standard, believe me, one has to be well prepared and it takes more than just shooting to reach this level. In the case of Mr Chetcuti, he is training with his coach and physical director on a regular basis so that he may remain well-focused both physically and technically.

On behalf of the Malta Shooting Sport Federation, I would like to inform all locals that Mr Chetcuti is on his way to San Domingo, in South America, where tomorrow he will be shooting in the ISSF World Cup San Domingo 2007, competing with the best shooters in the world.