A sporting charitable event

The Jesuits followed the Ratio Studiorum in their method of teaching at the Collegium Melitense, the predecessor of the Lyceum. It is the Jesuit educational charter which for centuries remained famous in all their universities, colleges and schools. As the Ratio demanded, studies were pursued with great seriousness and in a disciplined environment. It insisted on regularity in the curricula, syllabi, time-tables and attendance.

The Ratio was applied by the Jesuits in introducing at the Collegium physical training, games, sports and excursions. They also introduced theatrical plays.

So much is claimed by Fr Anton Azzopardi, SJ, in his Jesuit Schools in Malta, Volume I. Grand Master Manuel Pinto, on April 22, 1768 expelled the Jesuits from these islands, and confiscated all their property. Still, Pinto decreed that the Collegium should continue to function. He established instead the Public University of General Studies and a Lower College. The latter later came to be known as the Lyceum.

Small wonder then that with such ancestry the Lyceum continued avidly with its sporting activity. It is on record that the Lyceum football team and the University Sports Club played a big part in the development of football in Malta.

Lyceum FT vs University SC

"Shadows from the past - A much awaited annual contest: The Lyceum vs University Footbal Match" was written by Carmel Baldacchino in The Times and reproduced with permission in The Chanticleer, the annual magazine of the Association of Lyceum Past Students.

Both teams were very active in the formative years before the game was organised on a national level. The University Sports Club was founded in 1902. The Lyceum football team was founded the following year. A keen rivalry was soon established between the two teams. This rivalry however was always kept on a purely sporting level.

A match between the combined team of the Lyceum and University and the team of the Eastern Telegraph Company saw the Telegraph men beat the Maltese students 4-0. The Lyceum soon brushed aside this disappointment and during the 1907-08 season organised several matches on their new ground.

In the 1920s there was a great revival of amateur football after the Malta Football Association was founded in 1908 and organised a civilian football league. In 1922 the Lyceum football team became a founder member of the newly formed Amateur Football League and when a little later the Malta Sports Association was formed both teams became active members.

In 1923 the two outfits got together and it was decided to hold an annual football match on the basis of the boat race between Cambridge and Oxford Universities. This annual match was a big success and it used to draw large crowds of supporters to the Empire Sports Ground.

Carmel Baldacchino provided a tabular survey of matches between the two teams from 1923-24 to 1930-31. During this period the Lyceum won six matches and the University won only twice. The rivalry between the two institutions continued for many years in the competitions organised by the Malta Sports Association.

Bicycle marathon

A 50-hour bicycle marathon was first held at the Lyceum, Hamrun, in 1994 and was held annually for the following three years.

Lyceum students who owned bicycles drew up a roster and between them pedalled for a gruelling total of 50 hours non-stop round the racing track of the football pitch. Considering that their ages ranged from 11 to 16, it was no mean feat.

Apart from it being a sporting event, the main reason behind the bicycle marathon was that the proceeds go to charity. Proceeds from the first two years were relatively modest. Caritas received just Lm3,000 from the first venture and over Lm4,000 from the 1995 marathon. The motive was to aid the anti-drug campaign which was a noble cause as drugs were having fatal effects on young people.

The proceeds from the third 50-hour bicycle marathon went to IBIC, the Institute for Brain Injured Children. It could very well be that the main reason for a considerable jump in proceeds was the cause of suffering children. The emotional impact proved the proverbial generosity of the Maltese people.

IBIC used to send children to the United Kingdom for treatment. This was no longer the case after 1997. The bicycle marathon of the Lyceum netted Lm19,000 in 1996 and over Lm20,000 in 1997. This total amount made it possible for the Institute to organise treatment for the brain-injured children locally.

After a forced moratorium of four years, the bicycle marathon is being revived after the venture received the enthusiastic support of Godwin Zammit, the Lyceum's new headmaster.

Preparations are already in hand to hold the bicycle marathon at the Lyceum in Hamrun on October 23-25 next year. The school administration, teaching staff and students will be working hand in hand with the Association of Lyceum Past Students.

The motto for the 2003 edition of the bicycle marathon is Mit-tfal ghat-tfal (From Children to Children). The specific beneficiaries will be children stricken with cancer. The marathon will be run under the patronage, protection and assistance of the Community Chest Fund.

Here's hoping for the proverbial generosity of the Maltese.