The logo design for the 2023 Games of the Small States of Europe, just under a year before the competition is set to begin was unveiled on Monday by the Maltese Olympic Committee and Minister for Education, Sports, Youth, Research and Innovation Dr Clifton Grima.

Created by local agency The Concept Stadium based on inspiration drawn from designs produced by students, who were invited to participate in the process in a competition launched last December for school children aged between 10 and 18.

The logo merges the famous Olympic rings with the sea, fish and a Maltese icon recognized by many –the eye symbol. The eye has, over the years blended into several aspects of Maltese culture, starting from the famous Gardjola in Senglea to the Maltese boats called Luzzu as well as integrated in local fashion.  The colours of the Olympic rings were merged to highlight Malta’s values of diversity and inclusion through the blending of the different colours,  creating new colours and hues when overlapping each other.  

“I congratulate all participating students who contributed towards the inspiration of the logo we are launching today”, augured Minister Grima. “This was a great opportunity for our school children to take part in the organisation of these games, and their contribution will be widely showcased, putting yet again Malta on the International map”, said Minister Grima. 

“Today’s launch is another important milestone which brings us closer to the Games.  We are very excited to present this logo, which we believe will be quickly recognised and a wonderful calling card for Malta as we build up the momentum towards the Games.” explained Julian Pace Bonello, President of the Maltese Olympic Committee.  

Games Local Organising Committee Co-Chairman Mark Cutajar congratulated athletes who performed excellently over the weekend in various international events. He continued to explain that today’s event is a link in the chain of events that are required to host the Games in Malta next year.  The preparation for the Games, requires an equal effort from the athletes and the organising committee, to guarantee a successful and memorable event.  Without keeping the balance equal on both fronts, this will not be possible.

The Logo was then unveiled by Minister Dr Grima and MOC President Mr Pace Bonello, following a brief explanation from Jonathan Dalli, one of the founders of the marketing agency The Concept Stadium.  

A visibly emotional Alan Camilleri was the first to cross the SportMalta Charity Marathon
finish line today in Sliema. Camilleri, a favourite to be one of the front runners delivered a
well executed race, when he completed the distance in 2 hours 33 minutes 18 seconds.
Camilleri started the race well behind other favourite Andrew Grech who led the way until
Santa Venera when Camilleri overtook to make his way to his first marathon win. Gracious
in victory he waited for, what he referred to as his idol, Grech who finished in second place in
a time of 2:41:43. In third place was Clyde Sciberras, who finished in a time of 2:56:40.

The females’ race was won by Margaret Cremona who, hailing from the triathlon scene, was
taking part in her first Marathon. She finished the distance in 3:32:45. She was followed by
Olwyn Dunne who finished nearly six minutes after her. Sarah Nicols took up the third place
on the females’ podium in a time of 3:44.05. The second Maltese female to finish was
Marquita Muscat followed by Camilla Higgins.

Half Marathon

Maltese National Champion Dillon Cassar showed his dominant form as he finished the race
in 1:05:17. Cassar who currently has been focusing on 5k and 10k races in preparation for the
forthcoming Half Marathon distance in the Mediterranean Games in Oran, was a favourite
but today’s result was not expected. Cassar finished nearly five minutes ahead of Luke
Micallef. In third place was Simon Spiteri, who eventually edged Charlton Debono to third
place.

Female favourites Roberta Schembri and Lisa Bezzina ran for most of the route with each
other in tow, however in the end it was Schembri who prevailed. Schembri crossed the finish
line in 1:17:35, followed by Lisa Bezzina. Bezzina, who recently ran her first Marathon in
Valencia finished in 1:19.0. Third placed was Irish athlete Catherine Thornton who clocked a
time of 1:22.42.

“Today’s race was about giving athletes the opportunity to run on home ground, after months
of preparation. Despite the short time frame we had to bring all this together the synergy
between all stakeholders made it possible for a successful race to take place” enthused Mark
Cutajar, CEO SportMalta. “It makes us proud to see many Maltese taking their place on the
podium, particularly since there was a strong international presence. On behalf of the
organising team I congratulate all those taking part”.

The SportMalta Charity Marathon was organised in collaboration with Transport Malta and
held under the auspices of Athletics Malta. The organisers would like to thank local running
Clubs Birkirkara St Joseph Sports Club and Agones SFC for their invaluable logistical help.

Official Results of the SportMalta Charity Marathon can be found here –
https://my.raceresult.com/192761/results

There was a full discussion on the route of the Marathon at the meeting of the Traffic Management Committee held on Thursday 17 February 2022 at the Transport Authority. It took into account both the proposal by Mr Joe Micallef and the amended route proposed by Transport Malta.Members discussed the proposed routes and unanimously agreed that the route proposed by Transport Malta was safe, would cause the least inconvenience, would not disrupt public transport and would be acceptable to athletes.

The meeting was attended by the Police, the Mater Dei Emergency, the Tourism Authority, representatives of the Malta Chamber for SMEs, representatives from the Business Community of the St. Julian’s area and Sliema, LESA, Public Transport Officers, Civil Protection, Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Infrastructure Malta and by different directorates from the Transport Authority.Yesterday Mr Micallef had agreed to be part of the organizing team and that the services he had already ordered could be used for the event.

At Pretty Bay in Birżebbuġa, the Minister for Inclusion, Quality of Life and Volunteering Julia Farrugia Portelli, officially inaugurated 3 x 3 basketball court, along with machines for exercise.

Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli emphasized the importance of physical exercise and work to ensure that these open sites continue to be enjoyed by the public. This site also offers the accessibility for people with disabilities, who can play the game so dear to them, basketball.

Form his part, the Mayor of Birżebbuġa, Scott Camilleri, said that with such a project, Birżebbuġa could be the sports village that can regenerate this beautiful locality. This project was carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sport and Sport Malta.

Thanks to the Minister for Education and Sport the Honorable Clifton Grima, and Cap SportMalta Executive Mr Mark Cutajar, together with Mayor Scott Camilleri, for their help in this project.

Safety and protection of athletes are a priority at the SportMalta Charity Marathon on 6 th March. The
safety and protection of athletes is an absolute priority in the SportMalta Charity Marathon which is
being held in collaboration with Transport Malta. This was stated during a press conference in the
offices of Transport Malta by the Executive Chairman of Transport Malta Joseph Bugeja and the
Chief Executive Officer of SportMalta Mark Cutajar. This marathon will be held with the support of
Athletics Malta also since this is a competitive activity. The SportMalta Charity Marathon will take
place on March 6, 2022. Joseph Bugeja stated that he felt the need to hold two meetings with the
marathon organizers to discuss the need for minimum changes in the route, as has happened in
previous cases. Mr Bugeja explained that the request to the Authority to hold this competition at
national level was submitted only a few weeks ago. He said that in the face of such submissions, the
priority for the Authority would be to safeguard road safety, the safety of athletes, emergencies, and
the needs of public transport. He referred to the meeting held with the Traffic Management
Committee which includes all stakeholders including the Police, Civil Protection and the Department
of Health during which they approved the route of the SportMalta Charity Marathon. This same
route was suggested to the Malta Marathon organizer.

He said that was why it was decided that in collaboration with SportMalta and with respect to the
training of athletes, this marathon will continue with an effort between the two entities. SportMalta
Chief Executive Officer Mark Cutajar said that the aim of the entity is to facilitate sports activities
both nationally and internationally. He mentioned that he was in contact with the Malta Marathon
organizer to give his suggestions to the Health Authorities to change the protocols, which protocols
have been changed, but this too was not acceptable to the organizer. He said that together with the
organizer he had a meeting with Transport Malta, in which meeting the organizer did not accept the
proposed minimum changes. He mentioned that with the help of the associations and clubs
registered with SportMalta, a collective effort is being made to keep this marathon running
smoothly. He reiterated that SportMalta never enters competition with associations and individuals
but rather incentivizes them through a fund of half a million euros to attract sports activities to our
country. Both entities have invited everyone who wants to contribute to come forward, including
the organizer of the Malta Marathon, so that March 6 will once again be a celebration of sport and
national unity. The route that the athletes will take along with the registration application will be
published in the next few hours.

The Hal Far Model Flying Association will be relocated, according to Minister for Education and Sport
Clifton Grima and Minister for Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri.
The €20 million motor racetrack will be built on the property that is currently utilized by the association.
Indis Malta Ltd, SportMalta, the Lands Authority, and the HFMFA have all signed an agreement. Luciano
Busuttil, Chairman of SportMalta, commented on the teamwork between all parties involved, including
ministries and entities, in reaching this agreement that allows the Association to continue to perform its
sport.

The Minister of Sport has declared that the HFMFA’s headquarters and activities will be relocated to a
new facility within the Hal Far zone. The buildings were no longer ideal or adequate to carry out the
club’s activities as requested by the members due to developments around the current site. The sport
organization will now be able to carry out its activities and maybe organize international events related to
this activity as a result of the new buildings and facilities.

On the Public Holiday of St. Paul, at the Cottonera Sports Complex, athletes, coaches and officials along
with walk-ins donated blood. Throughout the year, the Blood Donation Mobile Unit travels to various
locations and places of work. This makes it easier and more appealing to recruit new blood donors,
especially those with limited free time. The mobile unit gathers around 3000 units of blood per year and
has established itself as a vital supplier of blood.

The event took place at 10am till 1pm where throughout the event over 40 individuals from different
paths of life came together to help out those in need. To each individual that came to donate blood, a
small token was given as a thank you which consisted of a mug and stress ball which was used during
the process of donating blood.

As always SportMalta is satisfied after another successful event and looks forward to organising more
events for the community and helping out different parts of our social groups.

SportMalta helped in the organisation of an event organised by Debbie Tully at the National Pool Tal-Qroqq on the 5^th of December in aid of Malta Hospice Movement through the sport of Water polo. During the event the sum of 1,500 euro was collected and was presented to Hospice Malta by the CEO of SportMalta Mark Cutajar and organiser Debbie Tully. A massive thank you goes out to those who donated and took part in this event.

The Games of the Small States of Europe, the biennial multisport event, will be returning
to Malta in 2023, two decades after it was last hosted on our island.
This was officially announced by The Minister for Education and Sport, the Maltese
Olympic Committee and SportMalta earlier on today at Cottonera Sport Complex.
The launch took place in a hybrid format and welcomed several Maltese medallists from
the 1993 and 2003 editions. Joining the event virtually were GSSE Member States’
Presidents and Chefs de Mission.

The GSSE feature a core of six individual sports and two team sports. Each organising
committee may add a maximum of two other Olympic sports or one Olympic Sport and
one non-Olympic Sport.

Maltese Olympic Committee President and Games Chairperson Mr Julian Pace Bonello
explained that preparations for this sporting bonanza are well underway. “The Maltese
Olympic Committee has been working even more closely with involved Federations,
ensuring the require support is given and that preparations proceed as smoothly as
possible. We hope that these Games will make the country proud, in both the way they
will be organized as well as the results achieved and will also serve as a catalyst to
inspire up and coming athletes to keep working hard for their dreams”
In 2023, Malta will be presenting a sports programme which includes Athletics,
Basketball, Judo, Rugby 7’s, Sailing, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table tennis,
Tennis.

“The Maltese Olympic Committee, SportMalta and the Ministry of Education and Sport
are working in perfect synergy towards this event. A local organising committee was
chosen and besides sport experts, there are experts in various fields that will ensure that
the Games will be a success. In the months to come we will engage with the public so
that the Games will not only will be for athletes and officials taking part but for the society
at large” remarked, Mark Cutajar, GSSE Organising Committee Chairperson.

The Maltese Olympic Committee also announced that it will shortly be launching a
Games’ Mascot and Logo Design competition. The competition calls for the design of a
logo and mascot that will be used as part of the Games of the Small States of Europe
branding.

Closing the event was the Minister for Education and Sport, Dr Clifton Grima who said
that “Government is really proud to support the Maltese Olympic Committee in these
Games. We invested both in infrastructure to increase the number of high-level venues,
but for the first time we also invested in human resources. €5m million was passed to
SportMalta to facilitate the training of athletes, engaging professional coaches and their
sport entourage” Grima concluded by saying that he looks forward to enter in
discussions with his counterparts in the other eight countries for sport in small states to
flourish further.

The Games of the Small States of Europe will take place between the 28th May and June 3rd 2023.

The building known as the 1903 Building in Marsa was completely restored with an investment of half a
million euro by Sport Malta. “Marsa will be a centre of the highest level for all those who not only practice
the sport, but for those who follow the sport as spectators,” says Clifton Grima, the minister for education
and sport. The project involved the restoration of all the structures of the historic building, which was built
by the British in 1903 and had the function of a clubhouse for British service officers.

The Marsa Sports Complex and its surroundings are being transformed into a world-class sports hub,
said Minister Grima. The minister also said that the work of the ministry in the field of sports goes beyond
the improvement of the direct sports facilities. The building has been extensively restored to preserve
part of our history, and also to use it for the benefit of sport. Mark Cutajar, Chief Executive Officer of
SportMalta, gave details of the project, saying that the ongoing work on four areas will make Marsa a top
quality and international sports hub.

As the internal finishing of the Marsa Sports Complex is completed, it will be used for the sports
community. Work in progress includes the construction of a new gym, which will include a squash centre,
weightlifting centre, fitness gym and netball courts, as well as extensive work on the track which will be of
international state.

Sports Minister Clifton Grima thanked SportMalta for its work, dedication and commitment in this sector.
Luciano Busuttil said that it is Sportmalta’s mission to raise the level of sport, not only through the
opportunities that are being given to athletes, but with the improvement of sports infrastructure.