{"id":56979,"date":"2026-04-19T08:14:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T07:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=56979"},"modified":"2026-04-19T08:14:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T07:14:59","slug":"talent-and-success-of-gozitan-sportspeople-celebrated-at-the-gozo-sports-awards-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/19\/talent-and-success-of-gozitan-sportspeople-celebrated-at-the-gozo-sports-awards-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Talent and success of Gozitan sportspeople celebrated at the Gozo Sports Awards 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Minister for Gozo and Planning, Clint Camilleri, spoke about the successes and strong potential of the Gozitan sports sector, while praising the continuous work being done to further strengthen sport in Gozo. This was during the Gozo Sports Awards 2026, an occasion during which the talent, dedication and achievements of Gozitan athletes, coaches and volunteers were celebrated.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Clint Camilleri said that &#8220;It is a great satisfaction for us to see sport in Gozo growing in this way. This is a direct result of the commitment and dedication of our athletes, but also of the investment we are making as a Government to create better infrastructure and opportunities.&#8221; He mentioned here that Gozo has been chosen to host the spring meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Island Games Association in 2027, a development that confirms international confidence in the island&#8217;s capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>The Minister stressed that this success is the result of substantial investment in sports infrastructure, including the Sports and Aquatics Pavilion in Victoria, Gozo, which includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool and international-level facilities. He also recalled that in October next year, Gozo will host netball and triathlon competitions in the context of the Commonwealth Youth Games. In addition, the Artistic Swimming National Championships were recently organised for the first time in the pavilion&#8217;s Olympic-sized swimming pool, which welcomed 220 athletes and officials from 17 countries.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Camilleri also pointed out Gozo&#8217;s successful participation in the International Island Games, after becoming a member in 2022 and taking part in the Guernsey 2023 and Orkney 2025 editions, while athletes are preparing for the 2027 edition in the Faroe Islands.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We will continue to invest in sport and our athletes, so that we not only maintain this level but also continue to improve it. The athletics track project in Gozo will be another concrete step in this direction because, this project will continue to strengthen the sports infrastructure and offer new opportunities for Gozitan athletes,&#8221; added the Minister.<\/p>\n<p>During the evening, various awards were presented to sportspeople and individuals involved in sports who stood out during the past year. The winners of the Gozo Sports Awards 2026 were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Officer of the Year \u2013 Noel Grech (Gozo Sailing Club)<\/li>\n<li>Team of the Year \u2013 Victoria Hotspurs Football Club<\/li>\n<li>Coach of the Year \u2013 Timea Laskai (Colibri Academy)<\/li>\n<li>Recognition for Athlete over 45 years of age \u2013 Raymond Spitieri<\/li>\n<li>Sports Career Recognition \u2013 Sean Michael Daly<\/li>\n<li>Special Recognition (Special Olympics) \u2013 Guiseppina Galea<\/li>\n<li>Promising Youngster \u2013 Zia Fuji (Shamrock Stars Sports Club)<\/li>\n<li>Promising Youngster \u2013 Ryan Muscat (Malta Triathlon Federation)<\/li>\n<li>Sportsperson of the Year \u2013 Charlton Debono (D Sports Lab)<\/li>\n<li>Sportswoman of the Year \u2013 Georgiana Mifsud (Gozo Football Association)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At the conclusion of his speech, Minister for Gozo and Planning Clint Camilleri thanked the athletes, coaches, families and sports associations for their commitment, while congratulating all those who were awarded and wishing that sport in Gozo continues to grow and flourish.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos: MGP<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_56979\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"56979\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Minister for Gozo and Planning, Clint Camilleri, spoke about the successes and strong potential of the Gozitan sports sector, while praising the continuous work being done to further strengthen sport in Gozo. This was during the Gozo Sports Awards 2026, an occasion during which the talent, dedication and achievements of Gozitan athletes, coaches and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_56979\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"56979\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 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121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div 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Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The Minister for Gozo and Planning, Clint Camilleri, spoke about the successes and strong potential of the Gozitan sports sector, while praising the continuous work being done to further strengthen sport in Gozo. This was during the Gozo Sports Awards 2026, an occasion during which the talent, dedication and achievements of Gozitan athletes, coaches and&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56981,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56979\/revisions\/56981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}