Minister Julia Farrugia inaugurates a bocce pitch project at the day centre for persons with disability in Paola
Minister for Inclusion and Volunteering Julia Farrugia inaugurated the third bocce pitch, this time as part of the day centre for people with disabilities in Paola.
This is the third pitch of its kind owned by Aġenzija Sapport, in the eleven centres it operates – and which are attended by around 500 people with intellectual disabilities. Just over 80 people with disabilities are trained at a professional level in the discipline of bocce in these same centres in collaboration with Special Olympics Malta.
Minister Farrugia praised the commitment of Aġenzija Sapport and also Special Olympics Malta which, through this training, is leading to more persons with disabilities recognizing their abilities and even using what they have learned abroad.
She continued by saying that in fact two of the people who are training in the Bocce discipline represented Malta this very week in Abu Dhabi where the Special Olympics UAE National Games 2026 are being held. These are Nevice Grech who won a gold medal after coming in first place and Nathalie Galea who came in second and therefore took silver on behalf of Malta.
“It is these success stories that we are writing with continuous investment in projects such as the bocce pitch. This also helps in the quality of life of the people who make use of centres such as this, as we have also done with the creation of the Ġnien Zaylen multi-sensory garden,” said Minister Farrugia.
She noted how the work on the pitch was carried out in recent months with an investment of €11,500.
“This project is part of a holistic plan so that everyone who attends one of our centres has sports as an integral part of their daily curriculum,” said Minister Farrugia. She praised Aġenzija Sapport for its continued investment in facilities and programmes for persons with disability which also include training from professional coaches, thanks to an agreement with Special Olympics Malta.
In addition to this, Minister Farrugia also noted how Special Olympics Malta offers licensed training on the Motor Activity Training Programme (MATP), a sports programme intended for persons with disabilities who are unable to participate in training for competitive sports in other sports disciplines.
Minister Julia Farrugia concluded by saying that this is also an investment in communities, as both the garden and the bocce pitch in Paola are open to the public at specific times, every day.
The CEO of Aġenzija Sapport Oliver Scicluna explained how sport is given great importance in the programmes delivered to persons with disability who attend day centres. “The Agency’s investment in this sector in recent years has led to a substantial amount of clients having the opportunity to discover and develop their abilities in sport, including in the discipline of bocce, with positive results for themselves and for Malta.”
Melanie Magri – Director of Customer Support, Schemes and Daytime Services at Aġenzija Sapport – said that these initiatives and programmes specific to each person’s needs help to improve the person’s quality of life.
National Director of Special Olympics Malta Anna Calleja said that consideration is being given to expanding the services offered with the main aim of everyone being active and contributing more to society.
The facilities in Paola run by Aġenzija Sapport include a hub which incorporates: A day centre for adults with disabilities run by Aġenzija Sapport, a volunteer centre, a place from which the Service Dogs Malta Foundation can offer a service and the Ġnien Zaylen multi-sensory garden in collaboration with Project Green. The centre is attended by 33 people with disabilities.
Meanwhile, during the day on Friday, the Mini-Olympics activity was also organised at the Paola Centre with various persons with disabilities from various day centres as well as Agency employees participating in games of bocce, football, basketball, MATP and races.
