Athletics Malta President Andy Grech is in Paris, France, where following an invite by European Athletics, he participated in the international federation’s Executive Board Meeting, which was chaired by its President, Dobromir Karamarinov.
During this meeting, Andy Grech, who also serves as the Vice President of the Athletics Association of the Small States of Europe (AASSE) – an international grouping of smaller member nations – highlighted the challenges facing smaller nations while bringing up a number of proposals on taking this sport forward in such regions.
Among others, the discussions focused on the possibility of extending further financial and development aid towards smaller federations in a bid to help grow the sport further. The proposals put forward include the recommendation for an increased participation by athletes from smaller states in major international events, the hosting of international events, further involvement in the wider European Athletics structure, and the provision of technical support to smaller countries.
Grech explained that the challenges facing smaller states are not limited solely to a narrower pool of athletes but extended to administrative matters, including volunteers and officials. He noted how many times, the latter would consist of voluntary resources, and to date, they are crucial in the functioning of an association. While remarking on the significant commitment provided by volunteers, Grech noted how such resources could not cope with the demands of a professional structure. Financial support and incentives would therefore strengthen the possibility of train and make available dedicated professional resources.
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov has been very supportive of the plight of smaller federations in his first year in the presidency. Earlier this month he was in Malta to follow closely the Athletics Championships for Small States of Europe and had expressed the possibility of transforming the competition in the future as a basis for qualification for higher-level events. Mr Karamarinov said that strengthening the smaller member states was an integral element of strengthening European Athletics itself.
At the end of the meeting, Andy Grech said: “Our presence here was important for many reasons. While it is a great honour to bring to the table the proposals on behalf of a number of federations, Malta’s presence continues to enhance its reputation in the international athletics domain, as we seek to build on the success of the Championships held locally ten days ago. Our efforts here are intended to also seek further ways to collaborate with European Athletics, with the objective of accessing wider resources – whether financial or technical, which the Association will ultimately keep investing in our athletes and facilities to keep the momentum of growth that athletics in Malta is currently going through”.
