MOC Director of Sport expects all athletes to give their all at Paris Olympics

Maltese Olympic Committee Director of Sport Charlene Attard is expecting all athletes representing our country to reach their highest level of performance at this year’s Olympiad but admitted there is still a lot of work to be done before we can aspire to challenge for medals.

Team Malta will be represented by five athletes at the Paris Olympics, namely track and field sprinter Beppe Grillo, shooter Gianluca Chetcuti, swimmers Sasha Gatt and Kyle Micallef, and judoka Katryna Esposito.

It is important to clarify that the Olympic Games are the pinnacle of international sport, whereby the world’s top athletes battle for medal glory so the expectations of winning medals are remote given the fantastic talent on offer.

In the previous Games, held in Tokyo, San Marino shooters Alessandra Perilli and Gian Marco Berti as well as wrestler Myles Amine combined to hand the small European country three medals at the 2020 edition.

So far, Malta’s best result in an Olympics was achieved by double trap shooter William Chetcuti who placed eighth at the Beijing Games in 2008.

Attard believes that for Malta there is a long-term process involved to start aspiring for a place on the podium and the MOC is working hard to reach that goal.

“To win an Olympic medal, statistically you need a minimum of eight years of high-level training,” she said.

“Shooting for example is a closed box. All the athletes at the Olympics including our own shooter is a world class athletes. Gianluca Chetcuti currently holds the European Games record in trap shooting, hitting 124 clays from 125.

“This means that who is better mentally and physically on the day will make it to the final. Other sports have different realities.

“The MOC and the federations are in the learning process to set the various tactics that may have been used by other countries to qualify by ranking – like which events should our athletes compete and perform to gain the most points.

“It is a big learning curve which the technical commission is working on to have a slightly bigger contingent in the next edition scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028.”

Asked to give more details on our athletes preparation for the Games, Attard said: “The preparation is ongoing. The pool of athletes who were aiming to make the team was over 20 athletes from seven different disciplines.

“Every athlete had their personalised programme which together with their coaches they included the tactical plan needed to be able to take the spot.

“Preparations included training camps and various competitions. We have athletes who had to fly every two weeks to compete and others left the island to focus on their training.

“Those athletes who made it then focused their training to be at their best at the games while the others shifted their aim to other competitions.”

Attard said Malta is heading to Paris with a fairly young team and the main goal is that they produce their best possible performance.

“Realistically, the aim is for our athletes to break their personal bests or national records,” Attard, a former sprinter herself, said.

“The level of the Games as we all know is very high and the aim from them and from the MOC is for each one of them to do their best hopefully improving some times.

“It is important that they get out from the competition venue with their head high, knowing they gave their all for the nation and for their growth.”

In recent years, money spent on technical preparation have increased significantly, and numbers remained high even after the Malta GSSE, where our country finished at the top of the medals standings with a record haul of medals.

“All the athletes forming part of the Team received support from the investment given to their sport for GSSE both directly or indirectly,” Attard said.

“Considering our competitive level in GSSE from previous editions, it is evident that if the investment is done the right way results may come. Obviously, one must remain humble and study what works and what needs to be improved.

“Looking at the Olympics, the biggest sports event on earth, the story is different. Here we currently get our spots by tripartite or universality.

“Our aim is that our youngsters will start qualifying by right – by reaching the required ranking or required performance. Then we can say we jumped to the next step.

“However this is not to be taken lightly. Like all National Olympic Committees, the nation will invest in a number of athletes from which a smaller number will do this step.

“Hopefully this will leave a ripple effect on the mentality of our athletes, the investment by MOC and by the government. It is a process… Rome wasn’t built in a day!!!.”

Asked what changes she saw both administratively and technical so our country can take the next step and be more competitive in top competitions, Attard replied: “A lot changed in recent years but a lot is left to change.

“Change happens slowly which is good for people not to hold back. From an administrative aspect, there are too many papers to be filled in and unfortunately some are repetitive which is giving a headache to our administrators.

“The energy invested there is affecting the time to which ideally is invested in our athletes.

“As regards to the athlete’s perspective, I believe it is changing too. Firstly, they are not afraid to leave the island and try a training experience abroad.

“The Maltese Olympic Committee, with their federations, are setting standards which will help athletes to achieve more – the concept is the better results you achieve the more support you receive.

“This concept is not a reinvention of any wheel but what other NOCs are doing to reach high standards in various competitions.”