Government to provide €5 million grant for elite athletes’ preparation

Elite Maltese athletes are set to benefit from another bumper financial grant by the government after Prime Minister Robert Abela on Thursday night announced that €5 million euros will again be handed to sports federations following an agreement between SportMalta and the National Development and Social Fund

Dr Abela was addressing the Team Malta athletes during a Celebration Night at Castille Square that honoured Malta’s record performance at the 2023 Games of the Small States of Europe that came to a close earlier this month.

“The government is committed to continue investing in you athletes and Maltese sport in general,” Dr Abela said.

“After our record investment for the 2023 GSSE, the government will maintain its commitment to continue to invest in the elite athletes and the National Development and Social Fund will provide another €5 million for your technical preparation.

During his speech, the Prime Minister said that apart from this grant, the government will continue to invest in sports infrastructure, the National School of Sport and other areas in sport.

“We want to send a clear message, that sport should be a way of life for all Maltese people,” he said.

Team Malta broke a spate of records at the 2023 GSSE which was held here as for the first time ever our contingent finished at the top of the medals table, for the first time since the Games’ inception, with a record tally of 97 medals – 38 gold, 30 silver and 29 bronze.

In the run-up to the biennial Games, the Maltese Olympic Committee, who were responsible of the athletes’ preparation in the ten disciplines held during the Games, benefited from a record grant of €4.9 million.

The financial grant proved a major factor behind the Maltese athletes’ strong performances during the Games as it gave the elite athletes the opportunity to conduct training camps abroad as well as compete more regularly in top level competitions.

After this successful performance, the government has decided to continue to invest in Maltese elite athletes and in fact an agreement has been reached so that another €5 million grant will be given to sports federations for the next four years.

These funds are set to come in handy for the Maltese Olympic Committee and its sports federations who will be able to prepare their athletes not only for the upcoming Games of the Small States of Europe that will be held in Andorra in 2025 and Monaco two years later.

But more importantly, it will provide much-needed funds to athletes who are aspiring to represent our country in next year’s Olympic Games in Paris and the following edition that will be held in Los Angeles in 2028.

Added to that Maltese athletes are also scheduled to take part in two other prestigious sports festivals, the Commonwealth Games in Australia and the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, both scheduled for 2026.