The European Week of Sport 2017 in Pictures…More events planned throughout the week.

Stay tuned!

More photos CLICK HERE

SportMalta, MaltCo and Lakes Fitness Studios have teamed up together to organize the 3rd Edition of the MaltCo Indoor Rowing Challenge as part of the European Week of Sport 2017 This year the Event will be held at St George’s Square Valletta

All participants must fill in the application form underneath. This will enable officials to determine race times and precise age and race format categories. The form must be submitted to either SportMalta or Lakes Fitness studios before or on the day of the event.   Failure to do so will result in non-participation.

Lightweights 75 kilos and under for men and 61.5 kilos and under for women must weigh at the venue before they race.

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Cospicua was one of the centres for this year’s European Week of Sport activity as one of its traditional docks became a venue of a canoe polo tournament organised by the canoe polo association in collaboration with SportMalta as part of the #BeActive campaign.

Canoe polo, also known as Kayak polo, is one of the competitive disciplines of canoeing, known simply as “polo” by its aficionados. Polo combines canoeing and ball handling skills with a contact team game, where tactics and positional play are as important as the speed and fitness of the individual athletes.

The game requires excellent teamwork and promotes both general canoeing skills and a range of other techniques unique to the sport. Each team has five players on the pitch (and up to three substitutes), who compete to score in their opponents goal which is suspended two metres above the water. The ball can be thrown by hand, or flicked with the paddle to pass between players and shoot at the goal.

The canoes are specifically designed for polo and are faster and lighter than typical kayaks which give them fantastic manoeuvrability. The blades of a polo paddle have thick rounded edges to prevent injury. Paddles are also very lightweight and designed with both pulling power and ball control in mind. Nose and tail boat bumpers, body protection, helmets and face-guards are all compulsory.

The players fought a very interesting battle and showed also excellent skills for the curiosity of the host people in Cospicua and a number of tourists who passed by the dock.

SportMalta employees gave spectators gadgets and explained in depth the #BeActive campaign.  After the event all participants were presented with a commemorative medal and a t-shirt that in itself promoted the campaign.

SportMalta invites the public to join in the various activities being organised during The European Week of Sports that is currently being celebrated in all member states across Europe. The European Week of Sport is a Europe-wide initiative of the European Commission, created to help address the issue of physical inactivity by encouraging the widest possible audience to be active. It inspires to make physical activity, as simple as it is, to become part of their lives.

SportMalta as the national coordinator of the European Week of Sport in Malta has prepared an intense programme for all to enjoy. You can access the full programme from Here

The official opening of the European Week of Sport was marked by a flagship event held at Birzebbuga with the picturesque Pretty Bay serving as backdrop for beach games and fun activities.  The general public and participants from #On The Move Programmes were invited to take active part in the event.

Sports associations were invited and encouraged to join the event, whereby in collaboration with SportMalta, they had the opportunity to give exposure and promote various sports disciplines by allowing those attending to take a try at discovering different physical skills.

Sports activities mainly beach soccer, beach tennis, speed Minton, aikido, weightlifting, tug of war and beach handball attracted participants of all ages and abilities.  These were spread along the whole beach area with Zumba and fitness taking centre stage.

Throughout the whole event, the public and participants, were presented with t-shirts and promotional material supporting the #Be Active Campaign.

Over 125 players coming from six different nurseries of water polo kicked start this year’s edition of the European Week of Sport with an Under 11  water polo festival organised by SportMalta and the Aquatic Sport Association of Malta at the National Pool Complex.

The tournament spread over two days saw a round robin league between six teams namely,  Marsascala, Neptunes, Gozitan Otters, Sirens boys, Sirens girls and  St Julians.  The main aim behind this tournament is to promote the game and give competition experience to the future talents this successful sport.

Hon Clifton Grima, Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and SportMalta Chairman Luciano Busuttil visited the tournament on day one where they appreciated the work being done by SportMalta, ASA, coaches and parents together with the enthusiasm of the young ones playing the league.  Present also Malta’s Ambassador for #BeActive Campaign and National Water Polo team coach Karl Izzo.

Gozitan Otters surprised everyone by winning all five matches with a narrow margin.  Marsascala finished second although having same points as Sirens boys but having won the direct encounter.  Sirens Boys finished third.  St Julians placed fourth.  To their credit, they played at times the best water polo during the tournament.  Neptunes had their good moments but were not consistent.  Big credit go to the female side of Sirens.  They managed to give a decent competition in all matches.  Their determination and enthusiasm was admirable.

At the end of the tournament SportMalta CEO, Mark Cutajar and ASA vice President Karl Galea, presented all the participants with a medal commemorating this year’s European Week of Sport and a colourful t-shirt sponsored by the #BeActive Campaign.  They both encouraged players and parents to participate more in sport and physical activity.  They told the kids that they need to be the ambassadors of sport within society.

Is-Segretarju Parlamentari għaż-Żgħażagħ u Sport Clifton Grima jifraħ lit-team Malti tal-Malta Table Footabll li ħadu sehem fl-FISTF Grand Prix tal-Greċja li intlgħab ġewwa Ateni fejn ħadu sehem tlett plejers maltin u għal darb’ oħra kisbu riżultati tajbin, fejn ġew mirbuħa ż-żewġ kompetizzjonijiet prinċipali.

Is-Segretarju Parlamentari Grima stqarr li dak li għamlu it-tim tat-Table Footbal huwa ta’ awgurju u kuraġġ għal aktar individwi jew klabbs Maltin fil-futur, meta dawn jiġu biex jirrapreżentaw lil Malta barra l-pajjiż.

Fil-kategorija Open, kemm Massimo Cremona u anke Angelo Borg rebħu l-gruppi rispettivi tagħhom u avvanzaw għall-fażi tal-eliminazzjoni diretta. Fil-finali, Cremona lagħab u għeleb lil Spiros Chantzaras bir-riżultat ta’ tnejn b’wieħed, wara l-ħin barrani u b’hekk rebaħ il-Grand Prix tal-Greċja.

Min naħa tieghu, Jason Pisani ħa sehem fil-kategorija tal-Veterani u rebaħ il-logħob kollu fil fażi tal-gruppi. Fil-kwarti tal-finali huwa elimina lil Kastelanos tnejn b’xejn, fis-semi finali rebaħ tlieta kontra tnejn ma’ Kostas Kechris. Fil-finali, Pisani għeleb lil Zavos bir-riżultat ta’ tnejn b’wieħed u b’hekk għamel dopjetta Maltija fil-Grand Prix tal-Grecja.

Waqt il-preżentazzjoni tas-‘shields’, trofej u palji fil-Boċċi Drome, il-Kottonera Sports Complex mis-Segretarju Parlamentari għaż-Żgħażagħ, Sport u Għaqdiet tal-Volontarjat, Clifton Grima awgura lil Bormla għas-suċċessi li kisbu fir-Regatta tal-Vitorja.

Is-Segretarju Parlamentari saħaq li “s-Segretarjat flimkien ma’ SportMalta ħa nkunu qegħdin noħorġu l-id tal-ħbiberija magħkom biex il-kollborazzjoni li diġa hemm eżistenti, nkomplu nkabbruha għax naħseb li huwa xieraq li nerġgħu nqajjmu u nkabbru l-entużjażmu għar-Regatta.”

Fl-aħħar tal-ġimgħa li għaddiet taħt xita kontinwa saru t-tiġrijiet tar-Regatta, bil-Club ta’ Bormla jirbaħ iż-żewġ Shields dik tal-kategorija Open u anke fik tal-kategorija B hekk kif rebħu tmienja mill-għaxar tiġrijiet ipprogrammati. Bormla rebħu erba’ palijiet tal-ewwel fil-kategorija Open, u erba’ palijiet tal-ewwel fil-kategorija B.

Illum saret żjara mill-Ministru Dr Ian Borg u s-Segretarju Parlamentari Dr Clifton Grima fil-Football Pitch f’Marsascala. Permezz ta’ fondi mill-Ministeru għall-Edukazzjoni u x-Xogħol u l-ħidma tal-Works Department, qed isir xogħol estensiv sabiex jinbena football pitch attrezzat f’din il-parti ta’ Malta.

Il-Ministru Borg faħħar ix-xogħol li jsir mid-Dipartiment tax-Xogħlijiet Pubbliċi, liema Direttorat huwa maqsum kemm f’sezzjonijiet ta’ ħaddiema professjonisti li jagħtu s-sapport meħtieg lill-Ministeri u entitajiet Governattivi fl-ippjanar tal-proġetti kapitali; kif ukoll permezz ta’ sezzjonijiet magħmula mill-ħaddiema tal-id u snajja importanti fil-fażi ta’ implimentazzjoni. Sostna li l-irwol għall-ġejjieni tal-istess Dipartiment għandu jkompli jevolvi mar-realtajiet li qed jesperjenza pajjiżna llum il-gurnata u jinsab konvint li l-ħaddiema kollha ser ikunu protagonisti f’dan kollu.

Dan il-proġett jikkonsisti fil-bini ta’ pitch tal-football bil-faċilitajiet kollha adattati, fosthom changing rooms, ġibjun, restaurant/cafeteria, substation u faċilitajiet oħra għan-nursery, u se jkun mgħoddi lill-klabb tal-football fi stat komplut. Dan jinkludi servizzi ta’ dawl u ilma, madum, kisi, aperturi u railings tal-ħadid, filwaqt li l-pitch ser jitlesta b’turf artifiċjali, flood lights u soft fence. Bħalissa bdiet it-tħejjija għax-xogħol ta’ taħmil u skavar wara li s-servizzi kollha li kienu jiffurmaw parti mill-infrastruttura tal-family park ġew skonnettjati.

Ix-xogħol, li beda matul dawn l-ahhar gimghat tas-sajf, mistenni jitlesta fi żmien sena, u l-proġett kollu ser jiswa €2.2 miljun. Dr Borg awgura l-ħidma t-tajba lil kull min qiegħed jikkontribwixxi għat-twettieq ta’ dan il-proġett.

Is-Segretarju Parlamentari għaż-Żgħażagħ, Sport u Għaqdiet Volontarji Clifton Grima qal li l-gvern qiegħed jiffoka fuq it-titjib ta’ faċilitajiet eżistenti, flimkien mal-bini ta’ oħrajn ġodda. Dan mhux qiegħed jiġri biss għall-football, imma għal tipi oħra ta’ sport differenti. Il-gvern qiegħed jirsisti sabiex l-isport isir parti mill-ħajja tal-pubbliku ġenerali.

Dr Grima żied jgħid li kull klabb għandu jinsisti li jkollu l-aqwa faċilitajiet possibli, imma li għandu wkoll jieħu ħsieb dawk li diġà għandu, sabiex dawn jiġu użati bl-aħjar mod possibli u ssir manutenzjoni adattata. Is-Segretarju Parlamentari tkellem ukoll dwar il-liġi li permezz tagħha, dawn il-faċilitajiet jistgħu jintużaw b’mod kummerċjali, sabiex kull assoċċjazzjoni jew klabb isir awtosuffiċjenti.