SportMalta will bring together all the stakeholders in local sport during a national forum, being held on April 22 and 23 at the Kirkop Sports Complex.
Mark Cutajar, chief executive officer of SportMalta, told a news conference that the principal aim behind this activity is to give all the participants the opportunity to analyse the current state of Maltese sport and draw up a new strategy to be implemented in the coming years.
“This is the first time representatives from different associations will sit together to discuss how we can take Maltese sport to another level,” Cutajar said.
“The aim of this forum is to further raise awareness on the importance of sport not only in terms of participation but also as a source of income for the country’s economy.
“Furthermore, the two main themes when Malta takes up the presidency of the Council of European Union in the first semester of 2017, volunteer participation and social inclusion, will also rank high on the agenda.
“At the end of the two-day meeting, a number of proposals will be presented to the Chris Agius, the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport.”
Cutajar said the forum will feature high-profile international speakers as several topics of interest will be discussed.
Yves Le Lostecque, the current head of the Sports Unit within the European Commission, and Agata Dziarnowska, who is in charge of the Sport Policy and Programme Unit within the EU, will discuss opportunities and challenges provided by EU funding.
The forum will also tackle the challenges of sports betting with a presentation from Marcello Presilla, the integrity executive at SportsRadar.
Marijke Fleuren, president of the European Hockey Federation, will talk about how parents can be involved in the sporting life of their children.
Chris Bonett, the Malta FA vice-president, will give his views on the Commercialisation Law.
Former Italian tennis player Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time winner of the French Open and also the Davis Cup, will be another guest speaker.
The National Sport Forum participants will also be addressed by sports personalities who are enjoying success in their respective careers, namely footballer Alfred Effiong, Josephine Grima (basketball), Vlada Kravchenko (paralympic swimmer) and national waterpolo coach Karl Izzo.
Cutajar said that, in the run-up to next week’s event, SportMalta will be hosting a number of seminars on topics such as sports participation in Gozo, the media, the contribution of youth organisations in sport, good governance and education through physical education.
Promoting sport
Chris Agius, the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport, said the National Sport Forum is a perfect opportunity for persons from different areas of our society to work together towards promoting sport on our island.
“I hope this activity boosts our cause to portray sport as an essential component of our community,” Agius said.
“We believe that this helps us to have a healthy society as well as transmitting the right values to our children.
“The government is working on different projects to ensure that sport continues to move forward.
“We are currently in the process of filing an application with MEPA for a new indoor pool at the Cottonera Sports Complex and we also have plans to build a similar facility at the National Sports School in Pembroke.
“As for plans to build a new shooting range, we are evaluating a number of sites after our initial proposal to construct it in Mosta was withdrawn. Hopefully, in the next months we will be in a position to announce a new site.”
Also present for yesterday’s news conference was SportMalta chairman Luciano Busuttil who emphasised the importance of encouraging sports participation among children.