The 350 athletes and officials from 17 countries that will be participating at the Athletics Championships of the Small States of Europe this Saturday will be competing in brand new facilities at the Matthew Micallef St John in Marsa, which will also benefit the local elite athletes and other enthusiasts making use of the track and field on a regular basis.
The Stadium is currently undergoing the second phase of major upgrades, reflecting an investment in excess of €3 million euro financed by SportMalta. This investment includes complete reconstruction of the main stand, technical room and storage facilities, association offices, dressing rooms, gym, massage rooms, doping testing facilities as well as catering facilities.
On the sporting side, Athletics Malta has invested in the resurfacing of the track, in a new throwing cage for the discus and hammer throw events as well as in a new pole vault facility. Athletes will be competing with Nordic Sport’s brand-new throwing implements. These have been financed by SportMalta and the Malta Olympic Committee.
This physical investment will be supplemented by state-of-the-art electronic equipment by Seltec GMbH and Alge, including a new timing system which will be used for the first time on Maltese soil. The availability of this technology will make the event more exciting and interactive with the spectators on the stands and those following online streaming.
Besides the athletes and accompanying delegations, some 150 local officials and volunteers will be supporting the event on Saturday.
Athletics Malta Secretary General Aldrin Cassar said: “Organising an event of this calibre was one of the biggest challenges undertaken by Athletics Malta in its history. The Association has been working for over two years on the logistical side of the event as well as on the sporting side to ensure a highly-competitive Maltese national team on the starting line. We believe that these efforts will ensure a successful sporting event on Saturday, and I call on the general public to join us at the Stadium in cheering the local athletes and enjoying a true celebration of sport”.
The full programme of events is available on https://cssemalta22.mt/. Entry is free of charge.
CSSE 2022 and the Maltese National Team are supported by the Maltese Olympic Committee, SportMalta, The Malta Tourism Authority, Eurosport, Medcomms Ltd., Big Mat, Salini Resort and Corporate ID Group.