Significance of SportMalta awards

At a colourful ceremony at the Med-iterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, organised by the Malta Sports Council in conjunction with the Sports Writers Association, the presentation of prestigious awards was held with pomp and circumstance in front of a packed auditorium and transmitted live on MTV.

Such laudable events as SportMalta Awards are directed to give due recognition to outstanding sportsmen and women as well as officials who distinguished themselves in the sports arena throughout the previous year. They are also intended to highlight and promote one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind: sport with its inherent values namely physical, educational, social and psychological aspects.

Unfortunately, a few of the role-models presented this year do not conform to the real definition of “sport”. Their activity may be entertaining, exciting, relaxing and interesting. They may have won international honours and prestige for our country but it is definitely not a sport because sport presupposes some form of physical exertion. In the Classical Period, sport was called agones from which the word “agony” is derived. If the organisers feel games of this nature, that is games that do not require any physical exertion, should be included in the SportMalta Awards they should include a totally different category.

Apparently, we all know what sport is all about... but very few attempt to define it... because sport defies definition. Social scientists have grappled in vain for a watertight solution to no avail but all agree that for a sport to be effective it should place a demand on lung capacity, sweat glands, muscles; if it does not, then the potential value of sport is lost because sport must generate the motivation to extend oneself physically, emotionally and mentally. A team sport presupposes real human opponents for the social-isation process of sport to occur. You need opponents to learn to compete, to quarrel and make-up, to cooperate.

Real sport involves the “catharsis factor”, based on the view that competitive active games act as a safety valve for the emission of bottled-up emotions implying the idea of purging or draining of that energy that has anti-social possibilities.

It is pertinent to point out that a game may be a physical or mental activity but since sport emphasises physical skills and exertion many games would not be sports though many sports are games. I believe that sports on the Olympic programme, with the obvious inclusion of rugby and similar vigorous sports, though not perfect, should be the guiding light in the selection of SportMalta Awards.

The significance of the sports awards is enormous and compels me as a sport analyst and educationist to emphasise the duty of the Malta Sports Council to primarily promote sport as a means of a healthy lifestyle both for the participant and society as a whole. I strongly believe the quality of life of the nation is the concern of those who govern sport on these islands.

The sickening fact emerging from the European Union six years ago that Maltese children between seven and 11 were the most obese in Europe has alerted the Education Division in the Ministry of Education to initiate an ongoing campaign in all state-schools to offset this chronic malaise.

What is even more alarming is that the recent European Health Survey revealed that “Malta has the highest proportion of obesity among men and the third highest among women” (The Times editorial, February 1). The least one expects from the organisers of SportMalta Awards is to buttress the efforts done in our schools with a tangible campaign directed at the promotion of active physical sport and recreation.

One final point. If we have to invite a special foreign guest to preside over these annual celebrations let us have an iconic athlete/player, possibly from the Olympic Games, who can recount his/her personal achievements, agony and ecstasy and the most poignant moments of his/her career.