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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 MARCH 2019 20 INTERVIEW SPORTS WARREN ZAMMIT A group of Maltese athletes will be competing at the Spe- cial Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi later on this month. The athletes, who are trained by Special Olympics Malta, together with their head of delegation Anna Calleja, ar- rived in Dubai on Tuesday on their way to the games. Special Olympics Malta trains athletes with vari- ous disabilities in a number of Olympic sports including athletics, bowling, football, gymnastics, triathlon and ta- ble tennis. Malta will be competing in a number of disciplines includ- ing athletics and triathlon. Speaking to MaltaToday, Calleja said that all athletes had gone through a intensive training programme, under the guidance of a gym instruc- tor and a personal trainer. The coaching staff for each discipline ensured that each athlete had had a full training session, as well as advice from a professional dietician to help guide their preparation for the competition. Calleja said that Malta Spe- cial Olympic's roles went be- yond just training in sports and physical activities. "Special Olympics doesn't only provide training in sports and physical activities, but it also has other health programs," Calleja said. "All our athletes are screened in different health programs. Special Olympics Malta has qualified medical profession- als that work together and screen all the athletes, once a year." She added that the organisa- tion welcomed everyone, ir- respective of their age or dis- ability. The last few months have been particularly busy for the organisation's athletes. One group, competing in swim- ming and athletics competi- tions, travelled to Italy while a football team was in San Ma- rino to compete in the Small Nations football tournament. The football team obtained a relatively good result, placing fourth. Maltese athletes to compete at Special Olympics World Games Malta will be competing in a number of disciplines at the Abu Dhabi games this month Anna Calleja