World Medical Tennis Society to hold congress in Malta

Malta is to host the 36th World Medical Tennis Society (WMTS) annual congress in October, Professor Angelo Psaila, president of the Medical Tennis Association (Malta), announced at a press conference last week.

The congress will be held between October 14 and 21 at the Malta Hilton. Malta was chosen to host the event at the 2003 Congress in Bali.

The event incorporates the International Congress on Sports and Preventive Medicine and the World Doctors Tennis Championships.

The WMTS meeting aims to foster physical fitness through tennis, instil friendship among players and families, and support the exchange of professional experience. Scientific sessions on recent advances in medicine will be held. Another of the congress' aspects is travelling to all corners of the world promoting medicine and sports.

As the WMTS has no formal financial support it has always relied on sponsorships. The local association is no exception and has succeeded to attract a host of sponsors. Professor Psaila thanked the main sponsors of the congress, Tumas Group, which incorporates the Malta Hilton and Kia Motors. Other sponsors include the Malta Tourism Authority, Vodafone, Eurosport, Mizzi Holdings, Farsons, the Malta Council of Sport, Gasan Mamo Insurance and the Association of Pharmaceutical Companies.

Michael Abele, general manager of Mondial who are handling the organisation of the event, explained that over 350 delegates from 25 countries were expected to attend the event, around 250 of whom are to participate in the tennis competition, one of the largest sporting events ever to be organised in Malta.

Around 600 matches are to be played in seven days, presenting the organisers with a mammoth challenge. The competition would be played at the Marsa Sports Club, the Vittoriosa Lawn Tennis Club, and Tennis Club Kordin. The tournament referee is the experienced Oswald Tanti. The event's public relations officer is Alfred Cappello.

Both Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech and Health Minister Louis Deguara hoped the delegates would enjoy their stay in Malta and augured the organisers success.

The World Medical Tennis Society was founded in 1971 by Dr Stanley R. McCampbell, an Oklahoma cardiologist, and Bill Drake, the first executive secretary. The Maltese association was accepted as an associate member in 1984 and in the Nineties Malta was represented on the executive committee. Malta also chaired the society for two years.