The Andorra success story

Government simply has to think of ways and means how to direct more money into the coffers of the MOC. A handful of our athletes have the potential of winning medals in more prestigious games.

A week prior to the Games of the Small States of Europe in Andorra, the MOC president and Director of Sport were the only two persons confident and in an upbeat mood.

In previous editions, Pippo Psaila had made it a habit to forecast the number of medals that Maltese athletes could win at the Games. With some very minor exceptions, the 'wizard' was always spot-on as one failure was always compensated by a surprise result such as the women's basketball team gold in 2003.

Yet again, Psaila was right. He stressed that Malta stood a good chance of surpassing the result in San Marino in 2001.

When he addressed the media I thought Psaila was taking the nation for a ride. With squash and sailing missing in Andorra, our chances of striking gold looked remote.

High altitude and a tight budget were two other impinging factors that hampered the preparation.

Weeks of squabbling also meant that athletes were not even sure whether Malta was going to compete in Andorra. Local sport was gripped by an air of gloom as athletes trained in silence with very little to spur them on to reach their goal.

A limited financial package was always a big headache. Government reduced its annual aid to the MOC.

As a result, this called for strict decisions as to how the money should be distributed among the ten federations gearing up for the Games.

Tough MQS were established and those who did not make the grade fell by the wayside. In such individual sport as athletics, swimming or shooting, it was easy to gauge performances though the issue of whether an MQS was reached or not becomes trickier in team events and other disciplines such as judo, taekwondo, tennis and table-tennis.

The strict criteria adopted meant that Malta travelled to Andorra with a small contingent. With the third largest population among the eight nations at the GSSE, the MOC had always made it a point to compete with a large contingent.

This time round our two volleyball teams were left to ponder what went wrong in the selection process while the male basketball team watched in envy as the women's team packed their bags to the principality.

In reality, this was a fair deal as the male basketball squad failed to bridge the gap with their counterparts and volleyball is passing through a metamorphosis right now.

Considering all these setbacks, Malta's result in Andorra was the best ever, possibly even surpassing the one on home soil two years ago.

Although in 2003 Malta won more medals (44 in all) as opposed to the 38 in Andorra, the atmosphere was definitely more conducive to success two years ago with a passionate crowd supporting the athletes and a more generous grant from government that allowed the MOC to embark on a more professional training programme.

To this effect, the result in Andorra definitely ranks as the best ever at these Games.

Excellent Galeas

Angela Galea tops my list for the best performance in Andorra.

Her persistence and endurance finally paid off as she clinched our first ever GSSE gold medal in swimming. Now, Liechtenstein remains the only country at the GSSE never to have won a gold medal in the pool.

Galea is a true ambassador of sport. She juggles around with her academic duties and other chores in an exemplary manner. The MOC should use her services to entice young swimmers to take up the sport more seriously. Her presence in schools should kick-start an educational programme that will help the ASA to enrol more children to our swimming clubs.

It is worth recalling that Galea's march to the summit was riddled with stumbling blocks. There were times when Galea herself could not stand the situation anymore and even wrote letters in The Times highlighting the plight of national team swimmers.

Yet, where there is a will, there is a way and Galea has finally achieved her goal.

Athletics has yielded practically half of Malta's medal haul. Despite the absence of Tanya Blake, success was still forthcoming on the track.

Carol Galea stood her ground to win yet another gold and silver medal at these Games. While most athletes her age would long have called it a day, Galea is still hungry for more success and her motivation should be a lesson to all.

Athletics is on the right track. Years of careful planning are paying off and a number of emerging talent boarded the return flight home with a medal round their neck. This augurs well for the future but the MAAA could do with a legal title on the Marsa track.

This will ensure that the track is properly maintained and athletes can train without interference.

In judo, Marcon Bezzina is maturing into a seasoned athlete and her gold medal in Andorra attests that she has a bright future ahead.

Table tennis was also a pleasant surprise. Simon Gerada was always considered a good prospect but he cracked under pressure and failed to deliver the goods in his first two GSSE appearances.

In Andorra, the lad from the land 'down under' kept his cool as he marched on to win gold in the singles beating 'compatriot' Andrzej Makowski. The pair also won a gold medal in the team event for a memorable performance.

As for shooting, I simply run out of adjectives to describe William Chetcuti.

Despite his young age, he is already considered a veteran in Double Trap. This shooter will make it big one day and this will happen sooner rather than later.

In Almeria, in a week's time, Chetcuti will rank among the favourites for the gold medal. In past Mediterranean Games editions, Malta has managed silver and bronze medals but the ultimate podium has eluded us.

In Spain, history should be in the making provided that Chetcuti remains focused.

The 'Bidnija Prodigy' shuns publicity and hates the prying lenses of photographers. Yet, give him a shotgun and his precision skills are displayed with incredible ease.

By our standards, Andorra was a success story.

In cycling, Malta won an unexpected bronze medal in the time trial. Tennis yielded three medals. Sports enthusiasts were hoping for a better result in basketball but our girls could not repeat the golden feat of 2003 and in the end a solitary victory propelled them to bronze.

It is evident that in basketball, we failed to maintain the momentum and precious time was lost in ensuring that our squad improves its overall standard.

Unfortunately, in sports we still rely on short-term strategies and crisis management and this can have crippling effects.

While we toast this result, it is worth pointing out that we are miles away from bridging the gap with GSSE top three Cyprus, Iceland and Luxembourg.

Even Monaco had a better result than Malta and although many argue that the big percentage of athletes representing the tiny, yet wealthy principality, were those who were not good enough to make the French squad, the fact remains that Monaco is pumping some five million euros annually in sports.

Funding is a top priority, otherwise we risk losing some of our best talent as disgruntled athletes will not be blamed if they call it a day.

Apart from government's subvention, the MOC has to work harder to lure sponsorships.

And while some of you may have ventured to the Malta International Airport to greet the homecoming of our athletes, do not forget that this same country has turned its back on its medallists as no monetary rewards will be given to the podium winners.