Five Maltese Athletes Given Golden Chance To Make Olympic Qualification Through MOC Scholarship
The Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) has awarded scholarships to five of Malta’s finest athletes in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Athletics athletes Jordan Gusman and Jeremy Zammit, and fellow elite athletes Matthew Abela (badminton), Eleanor Bezzina (shooting), and Sasha Gatt (swimming) were all chosen by the committee based on some crazy performances over the past two years.
Their selection was also based on the likelihood of qualification for the games. A feat in itself.
In March, Gusman returned to Malta after having competed in a World Championship event in Belgrade, Serbia, competing alongside internationally renowned Olympic medallists.
And just last year, Zammit finished seventh in a World Championship final, attaining the highest position ever by a Maltese athlete, at just 16 years of age.
Bezzina (shooting) is no stranger to the Olympics, having represented Malta in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo last year.
Bezzina’s journey into the world of indoor pistol shooting began in October 2009. Since then, she has won two golds and one silver at the Games of the Small States of Europe.
At 16 years of age, Sacha Gatt already broke numerous national records. And last year, she became the first and only Maltese swimmer to achieve an Olympic qualifying time – a time of 17:01:80 in 1500m at the Slovakian Grand Prix.
In December 2020, she earned a historic qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics, and competed in the 1500m freestyle, achieving a time of 17:00:28.
Later, on the 6th of June 2021, Gatt also made it into the 400m freestyle race with a time of 4:18:58.
The MOC will also be supporting Matthew Abela, another Maltese athlete who set foot on the Olympic stage.
Abela became the first athlete to represent the country in badminton, making him a pioneer in his sport.
At the time, he was selected for the Olympics via the IOC Tripartite Commission, which offers local Olympic committees the opportunity to select athletes to participate despite not managing to qualify in the first place.
Since then he has shown nothing but growth and a commitment to move ever forward.
Charlene Attard, MOC director of sport said that the individual scholarships give National Olympic Committees the possibility to give a limited number of athletes assistance in various forms. Financial and technical, for starters.
Training, coaching facilities, regular medical and scientific assistance, monitoring, and even travel costs are just some of the things covered by the scheme.
This assistance would be used to help them keep their form in tip-top shape, as each athlete eyes qualification to the Olympic Games of Paris in 2024.
All eyes now remain on the five athletes as they train to see their dream come to fruition, all the while making their country proud.
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