Sport Malta and the Sports Journalists Association will team up for a third time to host the Sport Malta Awards – Għazliet Sportivi Nazzjonali. The awards night, giving recognition to the best sportsmen/women for 2016, will be held on February 25 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.
Details were provided during a press conference addressed by Mark Cutajar, CEO of Sport Malta, Luciano Busuttil, chairman of Sport Malta, Parliamentary Secretary for Sport Chris Agius and Sandro Micallef, general secretary of the journalists organisation.
The contest will again feature the traditional categories, namely, Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, Official and Coach of the Year, Best Male and Female Youth Athlete and Team of the Year.
There will also be recognition for the most successful Gozitan sport personalities in 2016 and Special Olympics athletes besides the Sport Malta Award which again will be decided by the public through televoting.
Micallef explained that the sports organisations involved in the awards have already received a notification to submit their nominations before the deadline next week.
“All nominations will be thoroughly scrutinised by the Sport Malta Awards committee who will then make a shortlist, those still in contention to be named at a separate ceremony scheduled for February 7,” Micallef said.
“Journalists will cast their vote to trim the list to five finalists in each category ahead of the awards night. The eventual winners will be decided by a panel of seven journalists from different media houses on February 25.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Sport Agius highlighted the key role sport can play in our society, particularly through manifestations like the Sport Malta Awards.
“Here, I would also like to take the opportunity to praise the journalists’ association for widening their spectrum in daily coverages and for giving more promotion to local sport and athletes,” he said.
Cutajar, chairman of the awards organising committee, explained how rules were reviewed so any loopholes that could have diminished the quality level of any award at stake were done away with.
“The aim of this review was to reward those athletes who made a name for themselves and for the country during high-profile competitions,” he said.
Sport Malta chairman Busuttil spoke about his organisation’s backing towards the annual awards.
He said he was positively impressed by the strong bond established between the journalists’ association and Sport Malta as both entities sought to make the awards night a high-profile event.
“We all believe that it is very important to recognise the achievements of our athletes,” he said.
“The Awards Night is a perfect occasion to showcase local sport, particularly this year when we will be involved in two major European Sports Forums as part of the country’s EU presidency.”