The Malta Karate Federation achieved an exceptional team result at the 11th Small States of Europe Karate Championships, held in Larnaca, Cyprus this month, finishing second overall and securing a total of 46 medals – 11 gold, 8 silver, and 27 bronze.
A key milestone for Malta was winning gold medals across all five competition age groups – Under 14, Cadet, Junior, Under 21 and Senior – both in individual and team categories, and across the full spectrum of kata and kumite events.
With over 80 per cent of athletes reaching the podium, this stands as one of Malta’s strongest collective results in the history of the championships.
Among the standout performances was that of Jessica Vella, who claimed three gold medals in the U21 individual kata, senior individual kata, and team kata events, making her one of the most successful athletes of the tournament.
The 53-athlete delegation was led by national coaches for Kata Michelle Vella, Joseph Tanti, Matthew Vella, Michelle Conti, and for Kumite Josef Antonelli and Joseph Mizzi, under the technical direction of Jesmond Schembri.
Three Maltese officials – Susan Sciortino, Frank Vella and Anthony Zammit – also served on the international refereeing panel. The delegation was headed by Audrey Zammit, MKF IT Director.
“This result confirms the progress Malta has made in raising technical standards and competing consistently at international level. Our focus now is to continue strengthening our athlete development pathway and ensure that Malta remains competitive,” said MKF president Kenneth Abela.
“The athletes, coaches, and support team have worked consistently throughout the year, and these results are a direct outcome of that commitment. This success demonstrates the strength of our national programme and the growing depth of Maltese karate,” added Jesmond Schembri, MKF Technical Director.
The Federation now turns its focus to hosting the 2026 edition of the Small States of Europe Karate Championships in Malta, aiming to build further on this success.
The Malta Karate Federation said in a statement that it was grateful towards SportMalta and the Maltese Olympic Committee for their support in helping develop the sport nationally and internationally.
