This morning SportMalta announced an initiative to expand, strengthen and attract more youths and children towards The Regatta Tradition. This tradition goes back many years and is strongly associated with the Cottonera cities and others in the vicinity. SportMalta seeks to support each and every sport in Malta thus resulting in the introduction of a new scheme in the form of a substantial donation to each club to build a new boat (dgħajsa tal-pass) that will have various use to the clubs and SportMalta.

With the 8th of September Regatta coming up in a few days, SportMalta announced this project during a press conference held at The Cottonera Complex. Through this scheme SportMalta will continue to intensify its collaboration with the Malta Rowing Association and contribute towards the growth of this tradition inherited from our ancestors in the years to come. The boats are going to have SportMalta’s name on them and will start participating in the March and September traditional races but will also be part of any National Activity so as to promote the Regatta on a larger scale and to a wider audience. It is also being planned that in the near future SportMalta launches a training programme together with the clubs to teach young children the techniqies of rowing by using these boats. This will ensure that the tradition is continued and the passion for this sport keeps growing over the coming years. Moreover this will contribute to attract other cities from all over Malta and Gozo to join those that are already part of the Regatta.

Mark Cutajar CEO of SportMalta said that the aim of this initiative is to ensure that such long standing traditions that are unique to our country remain. Furthermore such investment reflects SportMalta’s policy to act concretely through such actions when supporting local sport. Moreover SportMalta is handing more autinomy to the clubs so that they become more sustainable.

On the other hand Professor Joseph Grima, President of The Malta Rowing Association praised this scheme and said that the Association has already welcomed two new clubs that are now registered coming from the University of Malta and the other from Siggiewi.  He mentioned the fact that the Association has sent a number of rowers abroad to gain the necessary experience and it is hoping that with the acquisition of these new boats the Association will now be in a position to welcome foreign rowers to our country.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport, Chris Agius said that this is another project in the electoral manifesto  that is being implemented where sports of a smaller scale is being continuously supported by the government.  He mentioned that in the near future an indoor rowing tank is going to be built at the Cottonera Complex so that rowers can train all year round.

Click on the link bellow to find out more about next Saturday’s Beach Sports Fest that will be held at Pretty Bay B’Bugia.

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Be the beginning, Be the connection, Be the inspiration, Be the movement that activates a whole continent #BeActive

The European Week of Sport from 10th September 2016

The Maltese ambassadors Karl Izzo, Esther Azzopardi, Gilmour Borg, Jonathan Caruana and Vladyslava Kravchenzo, joined our mission to promote a more active lifestyle through sport and physical activity, have a very simple message for all of us, let’s all #BeActive!

Karl Izzo believes that practicing sports at a competitive level and represent our country at the international stage is an experience of a life time.

As a former PE teacher herself, FIFA referee, Eshter Azzopardi believes that physical activity should be integral part of every day’s life.

Special Olympics athlete Gilmour Borg told us that “children who are active, are more intelligent, health and confident”.

Football national team player Jonathan Caruana has a message to schools “schools can benefit in collaborating with sports organisations”.

Our last message was from para-olympian Vladyslava Kravchenzo. She believes that sports should be accessible to all.

More info about this year’s European Week of Sport go to www.maltabeactive.com

Past and present sport personalities should act as ambassadors to promote clean sport and physical activity. This is the main message that resulted from the announcement of five sport ambassadors by SportMalta in collaboration with Public Broadcasting Services. The sport ambassadors form part of the campaign #BeActive pertaining to the European Commission that will culminate during the European Week of Sport to be held between the 10^th and 17^th of September. They will be joining other sports ambassadors hailing from all over Europe, all together forming an integral part of this campaign.

During a press conference held at PBS Creativity Hub, Mark Cutajar, CEO of Sportmalta said that he has just returned from Bratislava where he attended the Directors’ General meeting held during the current Slovak Presidency during which the role of the ambassadors and the messages that they should push to the general public was discussed. Through their popularity and success these ambassadors will promote physical activity by attracting new audiences and draw them towards sports. He stated that SportMalta is working relentlessly on a number of initiatives to get people moving and encourages everyone to work together and participate in such events.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Cutajar listed a number of events where the ambassadors will be present to give their contribution. He thanked PBS for immediately accepting to become partners and collaborate on this project were through the national station and its programmes the ambassadors will be able to pass on the message to a large audience. He further pronounced that this partnership was presented to the 28 member states with the intention of discussing further such initiative during the Maltese Presidency.

Mr. Cutajar also thanked the ambassadors declaring their positive response in accepting to act as role models for inactive people that shy away from physical activity. The five ambassadors nominated are Karl Izzo, National Waterpolo Coach, Esther Azzopardi, International Football Official, Vladislava Kravchenko, Paralympic Swimmer, Jonathan Caruana, National Football Player and Captain of Valletta FC  and Gilmore Borg ,Special Olympics Athlete. Mr. Cutajar remarked that Jonathan Caruana is also an employee of SportMalta and stated that this augers well for the entity as it is part of its strategy to have high level athletes working within its structure.   Additionally he concluded by mentioning the upcoming strong TV media and social media campaign led by SportMalta.

Tonio Portughese, Chairman of the Public Broadcasting Services said that public broadcasting supports such social and educational initiatives as they are part off and in line with their commitment to promote social responsibility campaigns to the community. He sustained that this remit pertaining to PBS has its origins rooted in the direction provided by the European Commission of leading a healthy and active lifestyle.  Moreover this reflects the policies of the European Broadcasting Union. PBS will disseminate these messages through its popular media avenues.

Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport Chris Agius said that the chosen ambassadors are idols for several people and with the help of their new role they can share the values they have earned through sport to society at large.  He said that values gained through sport have been on the agenda of high level EU meetings and thus this initiative will put Malta in a better position to achieve aims that other EU countries inspire to achieve.

More information about the local activities in relation to this campaign can be found on the new website maltabeactive.com.

A two month campaign promoting sport and physical education in all Maltese and Gozitan schools reached its climax as the programme ‘summer on the Move’ opened its doors in the last few days. The programme will end in September.

The main objective of this programme is to attract as many children, youth and adults as possible towards physical activity during the summer months where normally most have some more extra free time during this period.

This programme is an extension to the campaigns Be Active and Move that started some months ago so as to continue increasing participation and influence people’s perception in viewing sports as a means to live a better life.

For the first time the programme Summer on the Move reached its maximum capacity weeks prior to its starting date due to the fact that the sports activities are being offered at numerous centres spread around Malta and Gozo thus making the programme even more accessible.

Moreover the increase in the financial backing to this programme has made it possible for SportMalta to maintain low and affordable prices for everyone consequently embracing the inclusion of all alike.

All coaches engaged by SportMalta to lead this programme are qualified, dedicated and passionate about their work providing added value to the programme. Furthermore even the helpers engaged to assist the coaches are students specialising the field of sports enhancing even further the service offered to SportMalta’s clients.

Apart from the sport discipline itself coaches make sure that they guide the participants and impart information on the importance of a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water and protecting oneself from the sun by using adequate protection.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Sports visited one of these centres and stated that this is another initiative towards encouraging an active Maltese society with the aim of reducing obesity in our country. He emphasised the fact that every citizen should realise that a sedentary life accompanied by an unhealthy diet can seriously jeopardise one’s health. He praised SportMalta for contributing to change this mentality.

Luciano Busuttil, Chairman of SportMalta stated that this was the first time that bookings for the programmes reached saturation point and SportMalta had to close its booking system with the record participation reaching a staggering 2600 participants. He also remarked that as from this year more disciplines were offered.

Maintenance work are currently underway at the Ta’ Qali Outdoor Gym. The surrounding wooden perimeter of the mini football pitch at Ta’ Qali Satellite facility has been painted with varnish and the goal nets will be replaced by new ones soon.Two of the working machines have been re-hauled and re-painted whereas in the coming days new pull up bars will be installed.

During this scholastic year SportMalta in collaboration with the Directorate Health Promotion and Disease Prevention launched ‘Schools on the Move’ in a number of schools. The project is aimed at teenage girls mainly to encourage them to be more active during the recreation sessions. Dance coaches from SportMalta visited the schools and introduced an activity “Dance Fitness” to a group of students. However the pilot project also trained team leaders so that the exercise routine  would still be held even in the absence of the coaches guidance.

As a matter of fact the “Schools on the Move” programme provides the necessary tools to the students to become independent and physically active during their free time. Moreover the project addresses bullying and peer pressure that can be addressed through physical activity resulting in unity and solidarity amongst the team.

To assure a successful outcome of this project SportMalta is currently holding a number of seminars for the team leaders do that they will be fully prepared to continue the programme in the upcoming scholastic year in October. On the otherhand SportMalta coaches will enlarge the programme by introducing it in more schools so that ultimately “Schools on the Move’ will be in all the schools across Malta and Gozo.

SportMalta would like to inform the general public that all places in the Summer on the Move programme are taken and no more applicants can be further accepted.
Whilst thanking all applicants, SportMalta would like to inform them that Summer on the Move will open its doors on Monday 11^th July.