Track and field athletes have been one of the reasons behind Malta’s resurgence in terms of results in the Games of the Small States of Europe. After their exploits in 2023, when the team brought home a record 15 gold medals, the Athletics Malta selection is geared up for another strong performance in Andorra.
Mario Bonello, the technical director of Athletics Malta, sounded upbeat when asked on the team’s chances of registering another strong performance in Andorra, with the opening competitions set to start tomorrow.
“The team’s outstanding performance in the Malta 2023 GSSE was the fruit of a lot of work carried out by athletes and their coaches,” the former sprinter said.
“No positive result came about by chance, but due to a powerful performance from every athlete in the team. In our analysis after the Malta Games, we concluded that with the team that we had and fielding the same athletes, we would have ended up with the same result.
“Every country, in one edition or another, will be without some key athletes. When you are at home, you make sure that everyone is available, while in a foreign GSSE it happens that you miss some important athletes.
“The result attained two years ago is a merit to all the work carried out by the athletes, coaches, and the support of the fans. Our focus on the administrative level is to help our athletes continue to develop.
“This time we are going to be without some important elements, but I still feel that we have a very strong continent, and maybe we won’t repeat the result of two years ago, but we can still get a fine result.
“In some areas of the team, I feel that we have improved, and our athletes continued to lower our national records, even from runners who are at the start of their career.
“I am sure that our fine showing in the Malta Games has inspired some upcoming athletes, such as Thea Parnis Coleiro, who are determined to experience success in these Games.”
Bonello said that Athletics Malta have not been resting on their laurels following their success in the Malta GSSE and are always looking at ways how they can help their athletes reach better performances.
“We are blessed at Athletics Malta to have a very good training facility in the Matthew Micallef St John Stadium,” he said.
“A lot of work has been done to improve the facility, and some of our athletes don’t remember how the stadium was three years ago, given all the work that has been done to ensure we provide the best possible venue for our athletes.
“There is still work to be done, and my dream is to have an indoor facility, something that we are still working on as we believe it will further help the development of the athletes.
“Added to that, there is still a lot of work done in terms of coaching education, while several athletes are consistently travelling abroad for training camps.
“We receive criticism that sometimes we send our athletes on too many training camps but those who miss out are given an added motivation to work harder so they don’t miss out on the next occasion.”
Target
Asked whether he has set any particular goal for the upcoming edition, Bonello said: “When I was an athlete and they used to ask me if I would win a medal, my response would always be that I have prepared very well and I am not afraid of anyone and what wil happen no one will know.
“At the end of the day, anything can happen, and one has to consider that these Games are held at the start of the athletics season, and we could have a few surprises, both positives and negative.”
One burning issue that always causes controversy ahead of the GSSE is the participation of foreign athletes.
Bonello made it clear that in athletics, those athletes who are training abroad are at a bit of a disadvantage when compared to homegrown talent as they don’t receive the same amount of assistance.
“Athletes who train here avail of medical assistance, something that foreign-based athletes do while the amount of money received is the same for both sets of athletes.
“Added to that, there is also criticism against those who have attained a Maltese passport. I want to make an important point, that in athletics, those who have a dual passport and decide to represent another country in top competitions, we will no longer select them to form part of our team. We will only support those athletes who want to represent us in all competitions.
“Once one has a passport, we cannot make any form of discrimination against one who has a passport because he came to live in Malta 20 years ago, or who lives abroad. Once you have a passport and your alliance is with Malta, we will back him.”
As we reach the end of the interview, Bonello has a clear message for all Maltese athletes competing in Andorra.
“My message is clear to the athletes: remember that this is just another competition,” Bonello said.
“Many athletes are anxious when competing in these Games as this represents their biggest competition of their life, and this experience can become stressful for them. Some of these athletes prepare for these Games midway through their exams and are forced to miss some training sessions.
“The important thing for our athletes is to keep their focus and remember that nothing will change what they have done in the run-up to these Games, and they just need to enjoy it and try and get their best possible result.”
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