Vella Vidal joins University of Nottingham table tennis academy

Malta international table tennis player James Vella Vidal will be taking the next step in his student-athlete career with a move to the University of Nottingham this year, the Times of Malta can confirm.

After achieving good results in both areas during his time at Grantham College, Vella Vidal – a recipient of the Sports Scholarship from the Malta Sports Scholarship Scheme by MEDE (Ministry for Education and Employment) – moves on to Nottingham’s academy, which is renowned for producing top table tennis players at European and Olympic level.

Despite the forced hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, he is now on his way to creating his own pathway with a dual career in place and a bright future ahead. The young paddler will now represent the university, with participation in the Junior British League and other tournaments around the UK.

Before his move abroad, Vella Vidal was part of the National Sport School (NSS) and was the first table tennis athlete to pass the entrance requirements and trained under International Coach Viktoria Lucenkova.

He had managed feats like placing second in the Under-21 singles and Seniors doubles categories of the second ranking tournament of 2020, organized by the Malta Table Tennis Association (MTTA). His best achievement so far, however, has been winning 3 bronze medals at the 2018 COJI Games in Sicily.