Kevin Azzopardi ousts Joe Cassar as general secretary
Julian Pace Bonello has been reconfirmed as president of the Maltese Olympic Committee after collecting the highest number of votes in an election during the Elective General Assembly of the local governing body of elite sport.
For Pace Bonello this is set to be his third term at the helm of the Maltese Olympic Committee after he had succeeded the late Lino Farrugia Sacco, who incidentally passed away last week, in 2013.
Two members from each of the 42 affiliated associations were eligible for the vote.
During Tuesday’s elections, Pace Bonello collected 62 votes against the 20 collected by Dr Micallef Stafrace and there was one invalid.
Dr Micallef Stafrace had been part of the Maltese Olympic Committee Executive Board for the past few years as he was the chairman of the Medical Commission and had sought to lead the MOC for the next four years.
However, his bid was unsuccessful, and it will be Pace Bonello who will again be at helm.
The next four years are not short of challenges for the MOC president as he leads the governing body’s preparation to host the much-awaited Games of the Small States of Europe in Malta in two years’ time where Maltese athletes are bidding to secure the country’s best-ever result in the biennial Games.
On the other hand, Kevin Azzopardi is the new general secretary of the Maltese Olympic Committee after he managed to amass more votes than previous incumbent Joe Cassar.
Azzopardi managed to collect 50 votes against the 32 of Cassar and there was one invalid vote.
The result means that Cassar’s tenure at the Maltese Olympic Committee will come to an end after more than three decades.
There were no need of an election for the other positions in the MOC Executive Board
Paul Sultana, the Malta Basketball Association president, was uncontested for the post of Deputy vice-president and he replaces William Beck who did not seek re-election.
Another major change was in the role of Director of Sport after Ivan Balzan decided not to contest for the post he held in the last four years.
His place has now been taken by former sprinter Charlene Attard who will be given the onus to lead Maltese athletes’ technical preparation for the upcoming years.
Among the competitions, Attard will be responsible of are not only the 2023 GSSE but also next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Mediterranean Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
David Azzopardi was reconfirmed as the Director of Finance as he was uncontested.
As regards the other executive directors, Dr Lucienne Attard, Maria Vella Galea and Johanna Grech retained their place while Nigel McCarthy is the only new face on the Executive Board after he submitted his nomination last month.
