Celebrating Sport in Malta is an annual conference, organised by SportMalta, which provides a platform for national sport stakeholders to discuss the future of sport in Malta and explore ways to leverage sport’s social, economic, and health potential. This year, the event was organised on 10-11 January 2025 and also marked the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of SportMalta, with EOSE represented by its Executive Director, Mr. Aurélien Favre.
The two-day event, composed of discussions, expert panels, and keynote presentations, was attended by nearly 200 participants representing various Maltese sport organisations such as sport federations, sport clubs, local authorities, NGOs, schools, as well as policy makers, coaches, educators, athletes, students and physical education teachers.
The conference was opened by Clifton Grima, Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research, and Innovation, and Matthew Pisani, Chairman of SportMalta. They highlighted the achievements of the Maltese sporting community and set the stage for a promising future. Their speeches reflected on SportMalta’s journey and the significant work accomplished over the past decade, including investments in infrastructure projects, hosting international sporting events, and providing support to associations, organisations, sports clubs, and athletes.
This was followed by a series of insightful discussions, panels, and keynote presentations. Prof. Antonio Silva, President of European Aquatics, presented a programme entitled “Learn to Swim and Prevent Drowning”, designed for school-aged children. The programme aims to ensure swimming education is accessible to all and integrates playful activities into swimming lessons to teach essential skills.
Prof. Gregor Starc, from the Faculty of Sport at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, introduced a National Fitness Surveillance Programme entitled SLOfit, which monitors and promotes the physical fitness and health of children, adolescents, and adults in Slovenia. SLOfit focuses on raising awareness across all generations to engage in a healthy lifestyle.
Mr. Aurélien Favre, Executive Director of EOSE, delivered a presentation on European funding opportunities for the sport sector in Malta. He shared concrete examples of funding opportunities and projects (e.g., Erasmus+ Sport), provided practical advice, strategies and tips to develop a funding application, and encouraged sport organisations to consider these unique opportunities to access financial resources which can support the implementation of their strategic plan and ambitious activities towards enhancing physical activity, good governance, gender equality, capacity-building and professionalisation of the workforce.
A highlight of the event was the Recognition Night Dinner, during which SportMalta honoured individuals and organisations for their contributions to Maltese sports. Matthew Pisani, Chairman of SportMalta, underscored the importance of collaboration among stakeholders in achieving these successes, and Mark Cutajar, CEO of SportMalta and EOSE Board Member, paid tribute to both past and present employees of the entity, acknowledging their pivotal role in fulfilling SportMalta’s mission over the years.
EOSE would like to extend its sincere thanks to Mr. Cutajar for the kind invitation to participate in this prestigious event and to congratulate the whole team of SportMalta for the remarkable work and activities implemented over the past 10 years to advance the sport sector in Malta. EOSE is proud to have SportMalta as an active member and looks forward to continuing this fruitful collaboration.
