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New Malta Weightlifting Association team for 2009-2010

A few weeks ago, the members of The Malta Weightlifting Association elected a new committee and a new president, Jesmond Caruana.

The new team has already started showing their mettle and have prepared a calendar full of events.

The first international competition will be held in Wales with the participation of five junior athletes Clint Sammut, Christian Saliba, Clyde Sammut, Ryan Agius and Mark Sapiano. Accompanying them will be their coaches David Saliba and Glenn Lucas.

Next Sunday, there will be a test competition in preparation for the athletes who will be taking part in the London Championships on 5 December. These include Rodmar Pulis, 15, who is the youngest of them all, and Clive Zammit, 20, who is achieving good results and holds no fewer than nine national youth records and six records in juniors.

Another athlete is Clint Grech, 22. He is one of the most experienced local athletes, trying to get the best results after an injury caused by a traffic accident. Stephen Borg, 33, is the most veteran athlete, together with Emmanuel Schembri, 23, the strongest man in the field. They are trying to get the best results to start the qualifying process for the Commonwealth Games 2010. Accompanying the athletes will be two coaches, Mark Pirotta and Jesmond Caruana.

On 20 December, the national championships are to be held at the Cottonera Sports Complex.

On 29 December, the Presentation of Awards ceremony is to be held during a dinner organised by the association.

For 2010 the first competitions are scheduled for 31 January and 28 February

One of the most awaited local competitions – the Malta Open – will be held on 28 March.

There will be a continuation of local competitions each month in preparation for the international competitions. The first one is the European Small Nations tournament which is going to take place between May and June in Limassol, Cyprus, though this still has to be confirmed.

The association will also be organising the important Mediterranean Cup event for which contact work has already started with the various international federations.

A training camp is also scheduled for the first half of the year for athletes and coaches with the help of the Malta Olympic Committee.

One of the main projects for next year is to modernise the competition equipment and modernise the centres to reach high quality standards. The association also intends to spread the sport on this island by opening new centres. The association is also preparing to stage presentations and demonstrations of the sport in various government schools.