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56 NOTFORPROFIT organisation Vikings Sailing Club kicked-off its annual Sailing Marathon 2014 amidst a highly-charged open- ing ceremony that set in motion the non-stop 50 hour-long sail- ing event from its premises at Hay Wharf in Floriana. Sailing enthusiasts joined the opening ceremony, which also featured key speeches from the Parliamentary Secretary for Re- search, Innovation, Youth and Sport Chris Agius and Opposition Spokesperson for Youth and Sport Robert Cutajar. Commodore Ri- chard Gabriele from Vikings Sail- ing Club also spoke and reiterated the 30 years of commitment by the Club to cultivate the love of sailing in Malta, especially among young people. The Vikings Sailing Club in fact is celebrating 30 years of existence in 2014. In line with its communit y-cen- tric mission, Vikings Sailing Club also offered the public the oppor- tunit y to try out dinghy sailing with qualified instructors against a donation. Participants utilised the chance to experience the thrill of dinghy sailing while contrib- uting to funds that are utilised to run training programmes and courses all year round. "The passion and affection Mal- tese have for our seas is deeply engrained in our national fabric. Since its inception in 1984 as a club of enthusiasts, Vikings Sail- ing Club has come a long way in harnessing this same passion and extending it to people of all ages, particularly our youth," said Comm. Gabriele. With more than 200 member families, the Vikings Sailing Club serves as a gathering point for hundreds of Maltese who come together for the array of events the Club organises on a regular basis. Popular amongst the commu- nit y are young children's train- ing courses, open race days, BBQ gatherings, country-themed cui- sine nights, dinghy regattas, and others. Some courses, such as first aid training, are provided free of charge by the Club. "This spirit of communit y that Vikings Sailing Club has so care- fully forged amongst its members, relatives and friends is the sole reason we have become a second home to many in this country. During peak summer months, the Vikings Sailing Club becomes a bustling centre of activities one after another. We are determined to remain dedicated to carrying forward the energy of our mem- bers and give back to the commu- nit y," said Comm. Gabriele. Realising its communit y-oper- ated orientation, the Vikings Sail- ing Club works closely with its members as well as with various organisations to nurture the love of sailing. It regularly works with Kunsill Malti għall-Isport (KMS) to organise training sessions for young kids. maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER 2014 Sport MARTIAL ARTS SAILING Success for Team Noel in Switzerland Team Noel recently represented Malta in an international Martial Arts competition in Switzerland and the Maltese athletes won 19 medals THE competition, World Mar- tial Arts Games, was organised by the World Kickboxing Net- work (WKN) where athletes from around the world met to compete in different disciplines and cat- egories. Team Noel represented Malta with 11 athletes and all of them won medals in their respec- tive categories. The Maltese athletes com- peted in Boxing, Kickboxing, K1 and Muay Thai matches. Some of them also participated in the Light Muay Thai and although it was the first time they competed in this discipline the Maltese won medals in their categories. The matches were divided between Light Contact, where athletes fo- cus on gaining points, and Full Contact where athletes can use full strength during the match. In both levels all had to wear protec- tive equipment Team Noel won a total of 19 med- als in the respective categories. These were 13 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze. The youngest athlete was Aiden Azzopardi of 8 years and although he competed in his first international match won the Bronze medal in kickboxing. In Light Muay Thai; Gold: Court- ney Vella, Aiden Borg Catania, Karl Demicoli, Julian Mangion In Light / Full Kickboxing; Gold: Matthew Brown, Desira Clayton Clayton, Brent Spiteri, Courtney Vella, Aiden Borg Catania, Julian Mangion Silver: Isaac Chetcuti Bronze: Aiden Azzopardi, Joachin Mifsud Attard, Karl Demicoli In K1; Gold: Brandon Spiteri In Boxing; Silver: Brent Spiteri Some athletes from Team Noel won their match with a KO. Brent Spiteri defeated his opponent with a high kick to the head. With this attack the foreign athlete ended out of the ring from between the ropes. Clayton Desira won as well with a KO by hitting the op- ponent with a hook punch to the head. Brandon Spiteri gave one of the best K1 matches and wins by points. Julian Mangion has trained with Team Noel for the past five months alone and com- peted for the first time and won Gold in Light Kickboxing. During the Games Team Malta met with Jerome le Banner, a pro- fessional athlete of high level in K1 and Kickboxing. While talking to the Maltese athletes he was as- tonished that from Malta emerged athletes of this caliber and have won many medals. His words were that "Malta is a small country but with a big heart". In October another Gladiators Night activit y will be organised for amateurs athletes in the dis- ciplines of Kickboxing, K1, Box- ing and Muay Thai. For more information visit the Facebook page of Ying Yang Kickboxing or contact Master Noel Mercieca on 79208283 Vikings Sailing Club celebrates its annual marathon in 30th anniversary year (from left) Mayor of Floriana Nigel Holland and MPs Robert Cutajar and Chris Agius blowing the symbolic horn to mark the start of the 50 hour-long sailing event at the Vikings Sailing Club Download the MaltaToday App now