Michelle Muscat Shrugs Off Shorter Swim Claims: ‘I Will Not Engage In An Attempt To Stir Controversy’
Michelle Muscat and the Marigold Foundation have refused to challenge claims that the Prime Minister’s wife’s latest charity swim was much shorter than was stated, arguing that they don’t want to stir the waters of controversy.
“The media were invited to cover the whole event from start to finish and were located on a boat following Mrs Muscat at all time,” a spokesperson for the Marigold Foundation, which Muscat chairs, told Lovin Malta.
“They could see for themselves that Mrs Muscat did not use any swimming aids, the exact route taken, and the prevalent sea conditions. A number of media houses followed the whole race.”
“A media house [Xarabank] even followed a test run earlier during the week, and other training sessions undertaken by Mrs Muscat on a practically daily basis during the year.”
“Michelle Muscat and The Marigold Foundation will not engage in any attempt in stirring controversy by some who seem hellbent to do so at every occasion.”
“We thank the general public for its continued support to this charity fundraising event which makes the activities of organisations, such as Special Olympics and The Alliance for Rare Diseases possible.”
Muscat last weekend swam along the ‘tail’ of Malta, a distance she and the Marigold Foundation had claimed to be equivalent to 14 kilometres.
We reach the intended end as per the notice for mariners at 7.46 km into the swim. Michelle would now be getting well into her stride given that this is the half-way distance. pic.twitter.com/twWaMAi0v9
— BugM (@bugdavem) July 14, 2019
However, using Google Earth technology, an anonymous Twitter account called ‘BugM’ argued that the distance between her starting point and finish points was actually between 7 and 8 kilometres.
Indeed, Google Earth shows that a 14-kilometre swim could have actually taken Michelle Muscat all the way around Comino before arriving at her final destination.
Cover photos: Marigold Foundation