Foreign teens left out of free gym scheme – for now: ‘Seems unfair’

When 18-year-old Marina Gusarov found out that young people her age were entitled to a free gym pass, she was excited about the prospect of getting fit for free.

But when the Norwegian student applied for her six-month membership this week, she received a disappointing reply stating she was not eligible for the scheme.

“Currently the system does not allow applications for Maltese residence cards. It can only process those who have a Maltese ID card,” her rejection e-mail read.

Despite living in the country for nine years, the University of Malta student felt excluded from her peers.

“We are not criticising anyone or anything, we just want to use the gym,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s a great initiative.” She added that she was surprised to discover her exclusion and felt that the initiative “was marketed wrong”.

“It would be nice to have had this available. It is only a small technical change after all,” she said.

18-year-old Norwegian Marina Gusarov is disappointed at not being entitled to a free gym pass.

The debate has since spilled onto social media, with people questioning why the scheme was limited to Maltese youths.

“Seems unfair, should be open to all taxpayers,” one commenter said. Another remarked: “I thought all EU citizens should be treated equally.”

The free six-month gym membership scheme was first announced in the budget in October as part of a drive to encourage healthy lifestyles among young people.

We are not criticising anyone or anything, we just want to use the gym. At the end of the day, it’s a great initiative- University of Malta student Marina Gusarov

It was launched on Sunday for young people aged 18-20, those born between 2005 and 2007. They can apply for a six-month membership at one of 65 participating gyms across the country.

A spokesperson for the Sports Ministry confirmed to Times of Malta that the scheme currently only applies to Maltese nationals but promised the criteria would be widened.

“The free gym initiative currently targets individuals born between 2005 and 2007 who are Maltese nationals,” the spokesperson said. “However, we are in the process of extending eligibility to include EU, EEA and Swiss nationals who are residents in Malta.”

“As this is the first phase of the initiative, our focus has been on laying a solid foundation,” the spokesperson said, adding that “future expansions, whether in terms of age groups or eligibility criteria, will be considered based on the outcomes of this initial rollout”.

Eligible applicants can register at youthfitness.gov.mt.

It is not the first time foreign residents have been left out of government initiatives.

Vouchers issued in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic were initially restricted to those listed on the General Elections Electoral Register, which is only open to Maltese citizens.

Following discrimination complaints, the government clarified that they would be given to all residents.