SportMalta will continue to serve society in general by providing opportunities to associations, clubs, individuals to practice sport and physical activity. This was said during a news conference during which it was announced that a conference will be held that will celebrate sport in Malta on the occasion of the tenth anniversary since the transition from the then Maltese Sports Council took place for SportMalta. During the news conference, schools that took part in the School Sports Day organized by SportMalta were also recognized.
During his speech, Minister Clifton Grima said that “In the new National Strategy for Education 2024-2030 we have a main pillar dedicated to the welfare of the individual. Welfare that among others also talk about an increase in the time and quality of physical activity in compulsory education. Therefore the strategy also mentions the scheduled modernization of sports facilities in schools to encourage the use of these spaces for a variety of learning activities. It also mentions an increase in entitlements linked to physical activity in schools, the reintroduction of national tournaments and sports challenges for students.”
Minister Grima continued that this shows the commitment of the Government in the sports sector which must start from a young age and work for students to start celebrating sport and physical activity as an essential part of their well-being.
The CEO of SportMalta, Mark Cutajar, gave details about the Conference that will take place between 12 and 13 January 2024 with the theme ‘Celebrating Sport in Malta’.
“The Conference will have as main themes of discussion mental well-being, parental involvement, sustainability in events and the promotion of sport in school. Themes that through a discussion about which we want to look at where we are at the moment and what will lead us to the time to come”, said Cutajar.
The discussion will be spread over three sessions that will have a different audience including educators, coaches, parents, Sports Associations and sports clubs. International speakers will come to our country for the conference including Barbara Brennan, an Irish advocate for mental health, the Canadian Architect James Thoem, Olivier Goudet from UEFA and Greg Woods and Jason Lewis from the World Rugby Association.
The Chairman of SportMalta, Omar Farrugia, spoke about the successes that SportMalta had in the last ten years and said that the entity is committed to continue to lead to more successes with its work.
Rose Marie Mercieca, Coordinator of the European Sports Week said that SportMalta is recognizing the work done in the schools of Malta and Gozo as part of the European Sports Week initiative. She explained that since the beginning of this activity, ten years ago, the participation in this initiative continued to grow year after year to reach a record participation in 2023.
Minister Clifton Grima congratulated all the schools that took part in the School Sports Day and during today’s activity they were presented with sports equipment.
