On 1 October 2023, the VisitMalta Challenge Malta Triathlon will be staged – a sporting competition enjoyed by a worldwide audience of 2.5 million triathletes.
The triathlon is a sporting discipline that involves a marathon that combines swimming, cycling, and running in one race.
The starting point of the triathlon will be from Baħar i-ħagħaq with a 1.9 kilometer swim followed by cycling along the coastal road of Salina and Burmarrad until the participating athletes reach the last phase through ‘ a run that approximates the 21 kilometers along all the coastal areas of San Điljan, Sliema to Triton Square and Valletta. This triathlon is expected to attract around 800 athletes from different nationalities to our country.
These details were announced in a news conference addressed by the Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo and the Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima in the presence of the Chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority Gavin Gulia and the organizers of this competition.
The Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo said that sports tourism is an important niche for the local tourist product to remain versatile throughout the year. “The Maltese tourist industry works all year round. It does not close in the winter months, because over the last years we have managed to improve seasonality, and through various initiatives in a number of particular niches we have managed to strengthen tourism in the winter months in a consistent way “, stated Minister Clayton Bartolo. He added that thanks to the proactive work of the Malta Tourism Authority, all this is being supported with serious planning and in advance to ensure that tourism to our country remains sustainable for the time to come.
The Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima spoke about the investment being made in this sector – not only infrastructural investment, but also direct investment in athletes. “We want to continue attracting events of international level to our country, and that is why we are raising the level of the facilities to be able to do this”, said Minister Grima. “We are doing this because the sports sector is a priority, but also because we want to give all possible opportunities to sports associations and unions to compete and meet athletes and sportsmen from outside our country in a professional sports environment”, he continued. the minister. He expressed gratitude for the collective work being done in this sector not only by the sports associations, but also collectively between other entities and ministries.
