The track is not for walking

Recently I had at least two telephone calls, from two MPs coming from two different political parties, asking me why people who want to go and walk around the Marsa athletic track now need to pay a fee.

In reply I asked the two MPs whether they bother to read newspapers or, if not, follow the workings of the House of Representatives. This because on October 17, 2009, Clyde Puli moved a parliamentary resolution whereby the authorities transferred several properties to a number of sports organisations. One of these was the Matthew Micallef St John Athletic Stadium, now leased to the Malta Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA). By his action, Mr Puli fulfilled a pledge made to the association by former Minister Jesmond Mugliett some 10 years ago.

Clause (6) of the contract the MAAA has entered into with the government stipulates that the association is bound to keep the track in a good state of repair and to do all maintenance necessary to be able to host, among others, international athletic meetings. These athletic manifestations are actively encouraged by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and by the regional body, European Athletics (EA).

Under clause 16 of the same contract, the MAAA is authorised to continue to develop the track facility as a high-performance training centre, as specified by the IAAF. The MAAA is honouring the contract signed and, apart from carrying out costly and overdue maintenance and refurbishing works, it is also investing in several amenities, including a gymnasium, adequate dressing rooms, toilets and a locker room. Besides these necessities, the association will be investing in rehabilitation facilities, which are very important for elite athletes.

Under clause (5) the MAAA is required to make good for all water and electricity bills, among other services.

These overwhelming responsibilities would perhaps deter any other association from embarking on any initiative that would carry additional financial risks. Not so the MAAA.

In 2009 the association won the bid to host this year's edition of the European Team Championships (third league), to be held on June 19 and 20. This is a competition that will bring over 560 foreign athletes and officials to Malta. This obvious benefit to the Maltese economy, given the likely interest by the international media, representatives of sports magazines, radio commentators and TV journalists, is free publicity to Malta. Indeed, some of the competing countries are planning to beam the event live to television viewers at home.

The teams which will be taking part in the championships will represent Albania, Andorra, Armenia, ASSE, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Iceland, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Luxembourg, Montenegro and Malta, as the host country.

As this event is owned by European Athletics, they are insisting that all the equipment and facilities are of the highest standards. In fact, all equipment has to be IAAF certified. For this reason, in a few weeks' time a delegation from the EA will be visiting Malta to ascertain that our preparations are up to scratch and certification. This means the officials will want to ensure that the track and all ancillary facilities are meeting international standards.

Apart from this event, the MAAA will also be holding its annual International Invitation Track and Field meeting in April, for which it is also expecting to host at least another 200 athletes, some of whom extend their stay to hold their warm-weather training camp here. This is yet another reason why the MAAA is upgrading the track facilities.

But, then, all these preparations require a considerable expense.

The European Team Championships alone will cost an estimated €210,000; 25 per cent of the expenditure is earmarked for the refurbishing of the track facility.

The MAAA has no option but to charge a fee if it is to continue to maintain the track in a good state of repair as is required by the contract. After all, the contract itself, by virtue of clause 11, authorises the MAAA to introduce a membership fee.

The MAAA has been very prudent and charged very reasonable fees, intentionally lower than commercial rates elsewhere. Moreover, aware that senior citizens are being encouraged to keep fit by medical advisers and, indeed, the Maltese authorities themselves, the MAAA is charging only a nominal fee of €18 per annum for the use of the facilities.

Finally, may I point out that when, in 2003, Mr Mugliett, the then Minister of Sport, refurbished the Matthew Micallef St John Athletic Stadium to meet international standards, thereby ensuring a fast running track, the intention was to serve athletes, not those people who simply want to control their weight.

The Marsa track is a competition track. In fact, it is the only standard competition track in Malta. It needs to be maintained well as, otherwise, it would not be good enough to host international meetings. In the space of two weeks the MAAA spent €10,000 just to refurbish a 60m x 1.5m run-up to the long jump pit. It would cost more than €250,000 to refurbish the whole track.

I am positive that the majority of readers would agree with me that the track is not made for walking.

Mr Chircop is president of the Malta Amateur Athletic Association.