Foreign wrestlers set to compete in MWA tournament

The Federazzjoni Maltija Lotta will be hosting the Bridgepoint Championships at the University SC  this weekend as part of the federation’s 50-year anniversary celebrations.

The freestyle wrestling tournament, which gets under way on Friday at the University SC, will bring together wrestlers from England, Scotland, Cyprus and North Macedonia as well as 12 Maltese representatives.

Federation president Pierre Cassar told Times of Malta that staging the tournament in Malta works both ways for the local athletes.

“Being close to home will put the athletes under pressure to deliver in front of their friends and families, but it will definitely give them that professional experience which will help them become better wrestlers,” Cassar said.

“We’ve got a number of Maltese athletes taking part, some are already experienced, while others will be making their debuts at these championships. I’m sure they have what it takes to do well and as a federation, we’ll be expecting good results.”

One of the sport’s drawbacks in Malta is precisely the lack of local competition wrestlers have, due to the country’s very small population compared to the rest of the world. Because of this, Cassar said...