The Malta Paralympic Committee (MPC) has announced the team that will represent the country at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The team will consist of Maja Theuma, who will compete in Para swimming, and Antonio Flores, who will compete in Para athletics.
Maja Theuma, 24 years old, has been swimming with Exiles SC for over 6 years and has competed in various local and international competitions, including the Para Swimming European and World Championships. She competes in the ‘S6′ Para swimming class and holds national records in freestyle (50m, 100m, 200m, and 400m) and backstroke (50m and 100m) events. Maja will be participating in the 50m freestyle S6 event on August 29th. She is also the chair of the MPC Para Athletes’ Council and has been actively promoting and raising awareness for Paralympic sport.
Antonio Flores, 34 years old, is a member of Zurrieq Wolves Athletics Club and has been competing in Para athletics for over 15 years. He has represented Malta in major championships both locally and internationally, including the World Para Athletics Gran Prix events. This will be his second Paralympic Games, with his first being in Beijing in 2008. Antonio will be competing in the ‘T-44’ class, but due to a medical complication in 2017, he now competes in the ‘T64’ class (single-leg amputee blade running event). He will be participating in the 100m and 200m events on September 1st and 7th respectively.
The Chef de Mission for Team Malta and MPC Secretary General, Dr Julian Bajada, has expressed the committee’s goals for the Games. He highlighted that the athletes, who have been selected through the IPC Universality Wild Card Programme, have shown great maturity and readiness for the Games. The main objective is for the athletes to achieve their personal bests and give their best performance. Dr Bajada is also optimistic about the lasting impact of the Games, stating that it is an important moment for the Paralympic movement in Malta. He also mentioned the efforts made by the committee to promote Para sport in the country, with a record number of active Para athletes and Para sports available locally. He believes that the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be a great platform to further establish and normalize Para sport in Maltese society.
The team will be accompanied by Coach Edward Caruana Dingli (Exiles SC), Team Doctor Dr. Danica Bonello Spiteri, and MPC Treasurer Vladyslava Kravchenko (a two-time Paralympian who represented Malta in Para swimming at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020). The Paralympic Games will officially begin on August 28th and end on September 8th. The launch event was held in partnership with Hudson, who will be sponsoring the Malta Paralympic team for the Paris 2024 Games through their leading brand Nike. As the main sponsor, Hudson will be providing the team with Nike gear, kits, and bags. As part of their “road to Paris” campaign, Hudson has released a series of videos showcasing the strength and determination of Malta’s Paralympians. These videos send a message of encouragement, echoing Nike’s co-founder Bill Bowerman’s words: “if you have a body, you are an athlete”.
