As the Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sport today announced the semi-finalists of the Sport Malta Sport Awards - Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali 2017, Triathlon Malta is proud to see that four Triathlon-related nominations have reached the semifinals of these prestigious annual sporting recognition.

National Triathlon Champions Graham Borg and Hannah Pace are both listed as semi-finalists in the Sports Person of the Year. Apart from their local National titles, Borg also parades a 1st place in the hisa category at the Vattenfall World Triathlon Olympic Distance Triathlon in Stockholm, and an Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualification following his second place in category at Ironman 70.3 in Turkey.  Pace had two successive podium finishes at the European Triathlon Championships in both the Olympic and the Sprint Distance in June, while, together with her French Triathlon Team, placed as first team Elite in the Coupe des Clubes de France last September.

Although his very young age, Thomas G. Woods has already achieved very conspicuous results. Representing the Malta Youth Triathlon Academy - MYTA, Woods was the overall winner of Category 3 of the first-ever Malta Youth Triathlon Series. He also competes in swimming where he won numerous medals in swimming meets held by the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta.

The fourth semi-finalist from Triathlon Malta is the Federation's President, Cyprian Dalli. Dalli, during 2017 was not only re-elected as President of the MTF for a third consecutive term, but was also re-appointed as an Executive Board Member of the Mediterranean Triathlon Federation of which he is a founding member.
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The final awards honouring the various sports achievements wil lbe announced during an event organised by the Malta Sports journalists Association and Sport Malta on Saturday 17 February 2018. 

​The Malta Triathlon Federation has elected a new Executive Board which will be in office at the Federation’s highest managerial level for the next three years.

​After a strong campaign by both sides, incumbent Cyprian Dalli was re-elected in the post of President for a third term running. Contender Davide Cachia managed to achieve 30 votes while Dalli attained 48, with 4 invalid votes.

The post of Secretary General was filed by Vanessa Woods who scored 46 votes against the 34 votes of John Vella, while two votes were invalid. Even though Woods was a Delegate on the Council of the Federation, she will be serving for the first time on the Executive Board.

The post of Treasurer which was filled for the past 20 years by Oswald Spiteri became vacant as he retired as an administrator and was filled by Elisa Azzopardi, also a new face on the Triathlon Malta Board.

During a strongly-attended Annual General Meeting, Dalli made his outgoing report during which he outlined the various achievements of Triathlon Malta in the past year. In particular, Dalli expressed his gratitude towards Spiteri and proposed that he is awarded an Honorary Life Membership with the Federation, to which the crowd expressed its acceptance with an applause. Dalli also dwelt on the problems that the Federation encountered during the past months and he reached out to all present to forget all issues and institute a new sense of unity and belonging with the Federation.

Oswald Spiteri gave a detailed explanation of the financial management of the Federation and its income and expenditure for the last 12 months. He emphasised the fact that during his 20 years a Treasurer, he never saw the financial situation of the Federation in such healthy state.

Following this, an ad-hoc electoral commission was set up, with Euchar Camilleri as Chairperson while George Steve Darmanin and Ben Mifsud acted as scrutineers and tellers for the voting process.

Soon after the result was out, all the candidates congratulated each other and shook hands in front of the crowd.

In his acceptance speech, Cyprian Dalli said that now that the Election was over, all the focus of the Federation should be to renew a sense of unity and togetherness among all members. He emphasised that Triathlon in Malta can only progress and improve if every stake-holder forgets about personal agendas and come together to improve the state of things. He thanked all those who took part in this democratic process and the affiliated clubs for their contribution in the Council and in the project of the Federation.

The Malta Triathlon Federation brought to a conclusion an exciting 2017 multisport season some weeks ago. As always, the last anticipate title on the line is that of the Triathlete Of The Year (TOTY) points scheme. This system is aimed at awarding all athletes who took part in all the multisport events organised or sanctioned by the Federation during the season by points according to their classification in any given event. This therefore lay a strong emphasise on consistency throughout the season.

The 2017 calendar of multisport events consisted of 13 different events raging from sprint distance triathlons, to aquathlons, to duathlons and culminating in the National Triathlon Championships of last October. The final TOTY classification was rated on the best 9 points for each athlete, making this a hard-fought competition between athletes at all levels.

In the Male category, it was young star Shaun Galea who topped the series, claiming his first ever TOTY title, while claiming also the First Place in the Under 20 category. The strength of the younger generation was also evident in second place won by Neil Markham, improving on his third place from 2016. Markham also topped the Under 23 Category. In third place came Nicholas Bilocca for the first time on the podium of this classification after a very consistent season, while also winning the Over 40 category.
 
In the female category it was newcomer Celine Pace who took the honour and was declared Triathlete of the Year for the first time while also winning the Over 30 title. Margaret Seguna finished second overall and first in the over 35, after a strong season. Youngster Anjelika Ruggier won the third place overall and first Under 23 in the females category.
 
In a statement, Cyprian Dalli, President of the Malta Triathlon Federation congratulated all the winners and thanked all particpants of the various multisport races in Malta for yet another full and exciting season. Dalli also thanked the race organisers, the affiliated Clubs, race marshals and helpers whose valuable back-stage work make the races and events possible and help keep the local triathlon community alive with the numerous multisport events throughout the year.

Further to MTF Circular 6/2017, The Malta Triathlon Federation confirms that it is holding an Elective General Meeting on Tuesday 12 December 2017 at 6:00pm at the MOC Hall, Gzira, on the following Agenda :
i. Introduction
ii. Receiving of the Administrative Report by the President/MTF;
iii. Receiving the Financial Report by the Treasurer;
iv. Receiving of nominations for Election to the Executive Board (Annex A);
v. Appointment of a Chairperson for Election;
vi. Address by each of the canditates nominated for Election (2 minute slot each);
vii. Appointment of Scrutineers and Tellers;
viii. Election;
ix. Election Result;
x. Address by the New Elected President;
x. Adjournment.
During a Council Meeting of the Federation held on Thursday, 30 November 2017, the Council unanimously agreed that only those MTF Members in good standing order with the Federation are to have the right to attend the Meeting. A list of these members is attached with MTF Circular 7/2017. This list shows those members and delegates who have the right ot vote on the day.
In case of members who are under 16 years of age, one parent/legal guardian may attend on the member’s behalf with full membership power including the right to vote.
All members shall be required to sign against their name before entering the hall. Persons whose name is not listed shall not be allowed in the Meeting.
Only members who are present during the election can vote. There will be no voting by proxy.
The proceedings will be done primarily in Maltese with English used as well.
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​ANNEX A
Nominations received for the post of Executive Board for the term 2018 – 2020
 
Post of President :
CACHIA Davide
DALLI Cyprian
 
Post of Secretary General
VELLA John
WOODS Vanessa
 
Post of Treasurer
AZZOPARDI Elisa
 
Post of Member on the Board
DALLI Cyprian
 
The Malta Triathlon Federation notifies that, given that there is only one nomination for the post of Treasurer and the post of Member, election for these two posts shall not be held.

Click The Malta Triathlon Federation held the 31st Edition of the Malta National Triathlon Championship on Sunday at the Salini Beach and along the Coast Road. Hannah Pace was confirmed National Champion from last year while it as Graham’s Borg first National Title in his career.

In total, just over 100 athletes participated in all the races which were held on the day.

The National Championship was raced on the Standard (Olympic) distance which saw the athletes swim 1.5KM, cycle 40KM and run 10KM.

In the female race, Hannah Pace was unrivalled as she led from start to finish. Pace, who was defending her 2016 title, clocked the best splits in all three segments and in both transitions. Pace went in front in the swim where she opened a 90 second gap which left little hope for her rivals so early in the race. Pace went on to wrap the championship in a total time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 58 seconds. Margaret Seguna, current National Duathlon and Long Distance Triathlon Champion was second at more that 4 minutes behind the winner, while the third place went to Danica Bonello Spiteri, the nine-time National Title holder secured a spot on the lowest place on the podium.

In the male event, the race was uncertain segment. After the swim, it was Latvian Stanislavs Vaipans that exited the water, followed by Shaun Galea, Bernard Sant and Graham Borg. On the cycling segment, Shaun Galea lost a huge amount of time due to bike mechanical problem while it was Veteran David Galea who clocked the best cycling segment of the day, followed by Wayne Spiteri and German Holger Mitterer. However, Borg opened a huge gap on the run with Shaun Galea bouncing off the mishap and recording the best run of the event as he covered the 10KM course in under 38 minutes. Finally, Borg grabbed his first National title in a total time of 2 hours 7 minutes and 42 seconds, with Shaun Galea grabbing second place with just 9 seconds over team-mate Steve Chetcuti in third place.

The Sprint Distance race proved to be an opportunity for the younger generation of triathletes to shine. The race was won by Malta Youth Triathlon Academy’s Shaun Demicoli in a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes and 23 seconds. 15 year old Malcolm James Vassallo was second while Kersten Theuma was third. In the female race, German Eva Reinisch took top spot while Charmaine Sciberras in second and Elaine Fenech in third completed the podium. The Sprint Relay race was won by the team made up of Ruben Marin in the swim, Enrico Bradamante in the cycle and Rudy Muscolino in the run segment.

Mr David Fleri Soler, director at Express Trailers who supported and sponsored the race, presented the trophies to all the podium finishers and the Age-Group winners immediately after the race.

Mr Mark Gaglione from Medcomms & Garmin Malta presented a Garmin Fenix 3 sports watch which was raffled among the athletes at the presentation.

The Malta Triathlon Federation, in a statement, thanked the numerous volunteers who made this race possible, the local authorities, the traffic section of the Malta Police Force, the various sponsors and supporting companies and in particular, Express Trailers for offering the title sponsorship for the event.
here to edit.
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The Malta Triathlon Federation will be staging the 31st edition of the Malta National Triathlon Championship this Sunday at Salini Beach and along the Coast Road. This is, as per tradition, the grand final of the local triathlon and multisport season which has seen athletes racing in different formats of racing combining the three sports of swimming, cycling and running.
 
The Championship will be raced on a single triathlon on the Standard, or Olympic Distance. The race will start with a 1.5KM swim, followed by a 40KM cycling segment and concluded with a 10KM run. Around 70 athletes are expected to take part in the Championship, which include some of the big names in the local triathlon community who will be vying to become National Champion. A good number of international participation from Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, and other countries will be adding an extra dose of excitement to the race.
 
For the first time, the Malta Triathlon Federation changed the format of the races from a non-drafting to a draft-legal race and this will make the outcome of the race even more exciting and uncertain.
 
“We have moved towards a draft-legal races for two reasons” explains Cyprian Dalli, President of the Malta Triathlon Federation and Race Director. “The most important one was that our athletes are finding more opportunities for draft-legal triathlons on the international sphere and they will be required to race in this format if they aspire to compete at Elite Level. Secondly, it was felt that locally we were lacking draft-legal triathlons and so we started with this small but very important revolution. We are sure that all athletes will enjoy this race and will ask for more.”
 
The Championships are being supported by Express Trailers through the involvement of Mosta Cycling Club, one of three clubs that have secured a three-year sponsorship from Express Trailers.
 
“Throughout these past years, Express Trailers has started building a close rapport with road running sports. Our company’s operations are mainly based on road transport and although we are doing a necessary job of transporting goods for the local market, we also acknowledge that our fleet of trucks and trailers put a burden on all the other road users, especially the more vulnerable ones such as runners and cyclists. Our support to these events on our roads, seeks to redress the balance,” said Franco Azzopardi, Chairman and CEO of Express Trailers.
 
Simultaneous with the Standard Championship race, the Federation will hold an ancillary Sprint Triathlon on the half distances. For this race, there will be around 30 athletes competing as well as 4 relay teams.
 
The races will start at 7:30am this Sunday from the Salini Beach while the cycling and running will be held on the Coast Road. Attendance is free of charge and the general public is encouraged to attend and support the athletes.

VERŻJONI BIL-MALTI
F' laqgħa msejjħa mill-Amministrazzjoni tal-Malta Triathlon Federation fil-kumpless tal-Pixxina Nazzjonali tal-Qroqq, illum is-Sibt 30 ta' Settembru 2017 fit-8:30 a.m. in konnessjoni mar-reazzjoni fuq il-media soċjali wara rapport li deher fuq it-Times of Malta dwar każ kurrenti min-Nado fuq atleta tal-Federazzjoni, il-Clubs preżwnti jaqblu u jiddikkjaraw li :

1. Jikkundannaw l-istqarrijiet u l-kummenti dispreġġjattivi kontra il-President u uffiċċjali tal-Federazzjoni;

2. Jifhmu li l-proċedura spjegata lilhom meħuda mill-Federazzjoni f' dan il-każ hija waħda kif jitlob l-Avviż Legali relattiv għar-rigward in-NADO u l-mod ta' etika kif timxi l-Federazzjoni f' sitwazzjonijiet simili, aktar li l-każ gadu għaddej u l-proċess għadu mhux magħluq.

IFFIRMATA 

St. Patrick's Sports Club
Mario Muscat

Mosta Cycling Club
Edward Enriquez

Pembroke Atleta Triathlon & Athletic Club
Victor Camilleri

Malta Youth Triathlon Academy - MYTA
Vanessa Woods

Birkirkara St. Joseph Sport Club
Euchar Camilleri

SKUŻATI
Oswald Spiteri - Teżorier, MTF
Delegat tal-Klubb Agones SFC (Joseph Zammit parti mil-laqgħa)
Delegat tal-Klabb Mellieha Athletic Club

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ENGLISH VERSION
During a meeting called by the Administration of the  Malta Triathlon Federation in the National Pool Complex at Tal-Qroqq, today, Saturday, 30 September 2017 at 8:30 a.m. in connection with the reaction on social media after a report which was published on the Times Of Malta regarding a current case by Nado about an athlete of the Federation, the present clubs agreed and declare that :

1. They condemn the degrading statements and comments against the President and officials of the Federation;

2. They understand that the procedure explained to them and followed by the Federation in this case is one that follows the relevant Legal Notice in connection with NADO and the ethical approach in place in similar situations the Federation, more so that the case is still undergoing and the process has not yet been concluded.

SIGNED
St. Patrick's Sports Club
Mario Muscat

Mosta Cycling Club
Edward Enriquez

Pembroke Atleta Triathlon & Athletic Club
Victor Camilleri

Malta Youth Triathlon Academy - MYTA
Vanessa Woods

Birkirkara St. Joseph Sport Club
Euchar Camilleri

EXCUSED
Oswald Spiteri - Treasurer, MTF
Club Delegate Agones SFC (Joseph Zammit attended to part of the meeting)
Club Delegate Mellieha Athletic Club

END OF STATEMENT

​In response to the news that was published this morning on 'The Times Of Malta', regarding the suspension of a member and athlete following in an out-of-competition doping test, the Malta Triathlon Federation states that :

i. The MTF has always maintain a zero-tolerance towards any use of banned substances in sport. This was, is and will be the philosophy of the current administration;

ii. The MTF has followed the procedures as established in the Laws of Malta Act 455 and the Legal Notice 17/2015, and has immediately suspended the athlete upon receiving the first result from the National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO);

iii. The MTF has always maintained that any official statement on such cases is to be issued when the whole process is finalised. This particular case has not yet been concluded.  Thus, the MTF is following the same procedures as established in previous such cases;

iv. During this process, the MTF has been in full collaboration with the National Anti-Doping Organisation of Malta, and will continue to do so to ensure a clean and fair sport;

v. The MTF encourages and commend its members and athletes who work hard and play by the rules in order to reach their full potential, in triathlon, in sport and in life;

v. The MTF encourages its athletes to ensure that they never, for any reason whatsoever, make use of any illicit or banned substance and to ensure that sports and in particular triathlon is preserved safe, clean and fair.

End of Statement

The Force 6 Northern winds played havoc on the MTF’s plans to host this National contest for the first time in Bugibba as the waves came in high and strong to batter the shoreline on race morning. However, after due deliberation and consideration, the Federation turned to its plan B and changed the venue to the tried-and-tested grounds of the Salini Bay on the Coast Road.

The race saw a very interesting mix of established multisport athletes and a healthy number of newcomers, with most of them being young athletes ready eager to test themselves.  The National Championship was raced on the World-Championship distances, that is two runs of 2.5KMs each with a swim of 1000 metres in between.

The race was oncea again supported by Gatorade Sports Drink and San Michel Water : official hydration suppliers for Triathlon Malta.
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Race-Report
From the very first seconds of the contest, reigning champion Shaun Galea went into the lead and established the fastest Run 1 of the lot covering the distance in 8 minutes and 34 seconds. He was closely followed by the formidable 15-year old Malcolm Vassallo, and Neil Markham. However, in the swimming section it was Latvian Stanislav Vaipans who rocketed in front and opened a gap on his closest rivals, young Bernard Sant and Graham Borg. But Galea once again was on fire on the run as the Pembroke Atleta competitor went on to claim his second Aquathlon national title in a time of 34 minutes and 50 seconds, just 9 seconds ahead of Vaipans in second and minute in front of Borg in third.

In the female race, Run 1 did not manage to differentiate the most anticipated contestants away from each other as Danica Bonello Spiteri, Celine Pace, Margaret Seguna and Hannah Pace entered into the Transition in just an 8 seconds gap. Pace managed to pull through and record the fastest swim of the lot, with Bonello Spiteri and Seguna trailing 7 seconds behind, but Bonello Spiteri of St. Patrick’s AC recorded the fastest Run 2 to seal her 100% winning claim on the Aquathlon National Championships in a time of 38 minutes and 15 seconds, followed by Pace in second and Seguna in third.

Age-Categories
In the Age-Categories, the Youth category was won by Jean Claude Randon of St. Patrick’s AC, while the Junior titles were won by Bernard Sant of B’Kara St. Joseph and Anjelika Ruggier. The Over 30 category went to James Cutajar and Pembroke Atleta’s Celine Pace, the Over 40 to Denise Tanner and Niki Bilocca, while the Over 50 titles went to ever-greens Angele Cortis and Brian Magri. In the Relay-Team categories, the title went to the duo composed of runner Jonathan Carter and swimmer Jake Diedo.

Youth Aquathlon Races
A full programme of Children and Youth Aquathlon races were held immediately after, which saw 40 athletes between 6 and 16 fighting it out in thrilling races. Overall, it was the Malta Youth Triathlon Academy – MYTA who garnered the biggest haul of titles by claiming 5 out of the 8 top spots available. Julienne Woods won Category 1, Luke Camilleri won Category 2, Thomas Woods JR. topped Category 3 while Gabriel Bongailas and Callie Hock won the top sports in Category 4, all running for the MYTA colours. Other successes were registered by Daniel Pauley of La Salle in Category 1, Zoe Ives in Category 2 and Charlotte Spencer in Category 3.

The next weeks will be very busy for the Malta Triathlon Federation as it will hold the National Sprint-Triathlon Championship on the 10 of September in collaboration with Birkirkara St. Joseph Sport Club, while the season will come to an end in the Grand Final of the Express Trailers National Triathlon Championship, which will be held in collaboration with Mosta Cycling Club on Sunday 8 October.
More details can be obtained from info@triathlonmalta.org and 79037933.