The Malta Weightlifting Association, in collaboration with SportMalta and the Marsaskala Local Council, organized the Street Weightlifting event at Marsaskala Promenade on Friday 1st September 2023 at 18:00 as part of the European Week of Sport 2023. The event attracted a significant number of the general public who came to witness the competition. Many young athletes participated in a competition with a unique format where each athlete had 30 seconds to lift the maximum weight in the Snatch and another 30 seconds to lift the maximum weight in the Clean and Jerk. Mixed teams of 6 athletes each competed against each other using the Sinclair point system. The winning team was Pyro Force with 5073 points, followed by Thunder Titans with 4725 points and Iron Claw with 4707 points.

The Best Male Athlete award was earned by Rylee Borg, who lifted 1245 kg in 1 minute and scored 1505 points. Tenishia Thornton emerged as the Women’s category winner by lifting 789 kg in 1 minute and scoring 1042 points.

1st Pyro Force Team (Rodmar Pulis 1502pts, Tenishia Thornton 1042pts, Rheanna Briffa 723pts, Mariah Grima 740pts, Matthias Mifsud 641pts, Roberta Cassar 425pts)

2nd Thunder Titans Team (Rylee Borg 1505pts, Kim Camilleri Lagana 937pts, Nathan Mifsud 817pts, Aaliyah Gatt 734pts, Luca Said 371pts, Sheldon Briffa 360pts)

3rd Iron Claw Team (Vlad Baldacchino 1219pts, Luke Treeby Ward 1019pts, Kaya Curmi Inguanez 903pts, Mariah Bugeja 721pts, Nathan Balzan 473pts, Larson Galea 371pts)

Prime Minister Robert Abela unveiled the New Olympic-Size Pool at the Cottonera Sports
Complex on Tuesday 5 th September 2023.
Dr. Abela talked about how this shows that the Government wants to keep spending
money on things that help everyone. He also said that the government is doing projects like
this all over the country.

The €14 million investment on this pool is going to be super useful for sports and help
Malta do well in sports.
The location of this one-of-a-kind sports project in the southern part of Malta further
underscores our commitment to building a better Malta and ensuring that progress
reaches every corner of our nation.
The investment for the GSSE extended beyond the Games themselves and sports facilities;
it encompassed millions of euros dedicated to the technical development of our athletes.
This commitment to our athletes will persist, with a €5 million allocation from the National
Development and Social Fund dedicated to further enhance their technical preparation.
The Cottonera Sports Complex features state-of-the-art technology and offers a range of
amenities, including multiple dressing rooms for both athletes and officials, dedicated
office spaces, advanced control rooms, spectator stands, and restroom facilities.
The pool, designed to meet all the requirements of World Aquatics, is equipped with
heating systems for the water and features air conditioning. This ensures optimal
conditions for training and competitions.

Dr. Clifton Grima, the Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research, and Innovation,
expressed his contentment with the addition of this Olympic-size pool. He emphasized that
it presents a significant opportunity for the aquatic sports sector in our country to advance,
potentially leading our athletes to even greater success.

Mark Cutajar, the chief executive of SportMalta, enthusiastically praised the new pool,
describing it as one of the finest sporting facilities in Malta. He emphasized SportMalta’s
dedication to providing athletes with top-notch facilities to help them achieve their best
possible performance on the global stage.
During the inauguration on Tuesday, Jayden Cassar, a member of the Malta U-17 water
polo national team, expressed the gratitude of Maltese athletes for having access to a pool
now considered among the best in the Mediterranean. He believes that this project will not
only attract more young people to aquatic sports but also contribute to better international
results for our country.
The high-quality facilities and opportunities for training and competition are expected to
have a positive impact on the development of aspiring athletes in Malta.
We Promise, We Deliver

The GSSE2 023 Volunteering Programme was launched this morning at an event hosted by
the Maltese Olympic Committee and SportMalta which was attended by Hon. Dr. Clifton
Grima, Minister for Education, Sport, Research, Innovation and Youth as well as a number of
other guests.

Welcoming those present was Local Organising Committee Chairman Mark Cutajar started
off by congratulating the results achieved by Maltese Tennis players Francesca Curmi and
Elaine Genovese who brought a Silver Medal to Malta from their participation in the
Mediterranean Games. This augurs well and serves as a motivation for other athletes to
continue their commitment to preparing for these Games. Cutajar went on to explain that
recent statistics on volunteer engagement show that this is not an easy task however there
has been a lot of background work with several entities both from a government side as well
as other private entities to assist on attracting volutneers from all sectors of society. This will
also bring about more awareness of the Games and eventual support throughout the event.

Speaking at the event was Ian Restall who has countless hours of volunteering time and who
explained that volunteering is an enriching experience that will leave an indelible mark on all
those involved. Joining him was Joseph Cassar, who also has a wealth of experience in
volunteer co-ordination and who will be co-ordinating the Volunteer Programme for 2023.

Maltese Olympic Committee Vice President and Chef de Mission for the Games, Paul
Sultana highlighting their vital role and the considerable need for a strong pool of volunteers
who will be contributing to a positive experience for the estimated, 1000 athletes 500
officials across 10 disciplines and 11 venues. Sultana concluded bu thanking Joseph Cassar
who, together with his team have been undertaking crucial work, to engage volunteers, with
various institutions to engage volunteers such as MCAST, IPES and ITS who have
committed their support towards these campaigns.

Dr. Clifton Grima, Minister for Education, Sport, Youth Research and Innovation concluded
the event by explaining that "Substantial preparations are being made for this sporting
event and today we are taking another step by making this call for all those who wish to
participate as volunteers". He went on to say that a lot of work is underway in preparation
for this event, which is not only related to infrastructural work in sports facilities, but there
also organizational work, consultation and coordination meetings. "We are involving
everyone in this organization because we want it to be an experience that not only our
athletes enjoy, but also the people in general," concluded Minister Grima.

Individuals who wish to be part of the GSSE 2023 Volunteers’ Programme are invited to
register their interest online via this link – https://nocmalta.org/gsse-2023/ Interested parties
will be invited to undergo an interview and subsequent training will also be given.

This morning the Principal Permanent Secretary, Mr. Tony Sultana visited SportMalta Head Office at the Cottonera Sports Complex. Mr. Sultana was welcomed by SportMalta CEO Mr. Mark Cutajar along with SportMalta employees from various Sports Complexes under SportMalta’s remit.

Mr Sultana had an informal conversation with employees with different roles in the entity.  He was particularly impressed by the work and dedication shown by all staff.  Mr. Sultana visited SportMalta’s main project, the new indoor Olympic size pool which will be an extension of the existing complex.  The projects is an investment of 13 million Euro from Government funds.   During Mr. Sultana along with CEO Mr. Cutajar went around each department discussing the their operations and the challenges that these departments face  in their operations.

Mr. Cutajar accompanied by SportMalta top Management had a private meeting with  Mr. Sultana and a presentation on the entity’s strategy and projects were presented .  This included the ongoing projects and other projects planned in the short term. The involvement of SportMalta in various events was discussed including the yearly appointment with the President’s Solidarity Fun Run, The Special Olympics International Games in 2022 and the Games of  Small States of Europe  happening in Malta next year.

Mr Sultana thanked the Entity for the work done and was impressed by the volume of work that SportMalta is managing to do throughout the years.  He also encouraged more athletes and former athletes to be part of its staff in order to ensure better understanding of the needs of registered clubs and Associations.  SportMalta CEO thanked Mr Sultana for this visit and wished him luck in his new important appointment.  On behalf of all employees, he ensured that SportMalta will keep on working as a catalyst for sport and physical activity on the island.

At the Cottonera Sports Complex work has is well underway, the project has now entered its third and
final phase, following substantial works on the location where Cottonera’s first Olympic size indoor pool
will be built in preparation for the upcoming Games of the Small States of Europe 2023.

During a recent visit to the site, Minister for Sport and Education Clifton Grima said, that this is another
project that is now being carried out and that reflects the Government’s commitment to strengthening the
athletic infrastructure in Malta.

The Minister of Education and Sport, Clifton Grima revealed that, following the completion of the site’s
excavation, work on the pool and public stands, which will cost €14 million, has begun and works are in
progress.

Mark Cutajar, Chief Executive Officer SportMalta, said that the indoor pool, through its versatility, will
cater for different abilities and will also serve as a respite for the load on other athletic pools. This pool
will cater for all neighbouring schools and will also upgrade the standards of the inner harbour area.

After announcing details of a €3 million investment to upgrade the Athletics Stadium in Marsa to an
international level, we are seeing another project today that will boost aquatic sport in Malta and continue
to grow our facilities to help local athletes achieve the highest level possible.

SportMalta is pleased to announce that the negotiations on the new collective agreement for the period 2021-2024 were concluded and the agreement was signed on 4th October 2021.

The Entity which has a mission to facilitate inclusion and a healthy lifestyle through sport and physical activity is expanding its facilities with a number of infrastructural projects to create more high level places for the mission targets to be reached. The employees covered by this agreement are crucial in achieving these targets Moreover, they are contributing to move SportMalta to new highs with record participation in its programmes and record number of events to promote physical activity and sport towards a healthy lifestyle.

The agreement puts forward a 2.7% increase in financial package and also addressed some abnormalities in previous agreements. A number of family friendly measures make the agreement more attractive to its employees. Moreover this agreement offers to facilitate career development.

CEO Mark Cutajar thanked all involved including the Industrial Relations Unit within the Office of the Prime Minister, UHM representative, Human Resources Department of the entity and workers representatives for the smooth negotiations in between parties during a particularly challenging moment. He stated that this agreement gives the required tools to one of the best teams of employees on the island to continue to excel.

The agreement was signed by Mark Cutajar CEO and Dr Luciano Busuttil Chairman of SportMalta, Mario Sacco and Isabelle Farrugia on behalf of UHM and Darren Brincat and Michael Micallef representing the employees.

The signing of the agreement was overseen by Hon. Clifton, Parliamentary Secretary for Sport

Following the success of the Summer On The Move program over the summer, for another year, SportMalta is launching the program for the winter season. During the winter season, the program will be offering more opportunities for children and adults to be physically active and practice their favourite sport. During this program, academies will be strengthened to give more opportunities to all children to reach higher levels in sport.

Robert Portelli, Head of Programmes within SportMalta, pointed out that the aim of SportMalta is for every child to be able to practice sport regardless of the resources of their parents or carers, so that we can ensure a more active and healthy generation.

In addition to the winter program On The Move, SportMalta is also launching a sports and educational campaign for the public. Rose Marie Mercieca, coordinator of the European Week of Sport said that against the background where there is a growing percentage of people across the European Union who do not engage in physical activity or play sports, SportMalta – as part of its mission to lead Malta through the promotion and development of sport for Malta strong, inclusive and successful, and in its position of the National Coordinating Body of the European Week of Sport – launched a special campaign to achieve its goals.

The campaign consists of a number of videos with different themes, which show examples and possibilities of how to be active through sport and education. The aim of this initiative is to create a balance, where the subject is treated from different perspectives, notably that of a coach, teacher, parent, athletes from different backgrounds, and the sports volunteer who has a very specific nature.

Parliamentary Secretary for Sport, Recreation and Voluntary Organizations Clifton Grima expressed his satisfaction with the success of the Summer On The Move program and announced that 1,000 applications had already been submitted for the winter program. “This competition and this sporting activism fills us with courage and determination to continue to plan such programs for children and adults of all ages,” the parliamentary secretary continued.

Parliamentary Secretary for Sport, Recreation and Voluntary Organisations Clifton Grima launches Winter on the Move

The Chief Executive of SportMalta stressed how this year’s edition of the European Week of Sport was a great success. The activities had a good response from the general public, athletes, clubs and associations. Therefore, as a dynamic entity, SportMalta has launched a media campaign on education and sport and on the need for more volunteers in the field of sports, now that major events have arrived in our country such as the Special Olympics 2022 and the Games of the Small Countries of Europe in 2023.

He also said that these programs, in addition to their main goal being sports activism from a young age, send the message that sport is for everyone regardless of a person’s ages and resources. “The government, together with SportMalta, is looking forward to preparing more programs and a campaigns to have a more active and physically and mentally healthy people”