Veteran triathlete Fabio Spiteri and footballer Haley Bugeja were the main recipients of the 2026 L-Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali Awards after being named as the Sportsman and the Sportswoman of the Year, respectively.
The gala night, organised by the Malta Sports Journalists Association, rewarded Malta’s top sporting athletes during the past 12 months. Greek Olympic champion Pyros Dimas. was the special guest of the night.
Maltese football champions Ħamrun Spartans also stood out after completing a double with the Premier League side winning the Team of the Year award, while Giacomo Modica was named as the Coach of the Year.
Jacob Micallef and Sophie St John won the young athletes awards, while referee Ishmael Barbara was named official of the year.
The 66th edition of the annual awards saw Fabio Spiteri being crowned as the Sportsman of the Year.
Spiteri collected the highest number of points in the category that also featured shooter Gianluca Chetcuti, snooker player Brian Cini, runner Jared Micallef, and blackball player Mevrick Zammit.
Spiteri stole the headlines during the past 12 months for his exploits in the ultra-running scene.
In 2025, Spiteri became the first Maltese athlete to finish on the podium of the World Cup organised by the International Ultra Triathlon Association.
But his biggest achievement was when setting a new national record on his way to placing second in the Deca race held in France last July.
The Deca Ultratriathlon leads participants over a total distance of 2,260 kilometres, which corresponds to 10 times an Ironman race.
A few weeks later, he competed in another Deca race in Taiwan, where he again placed second overall.
Haley Bugeja was named the Sportswoman of the Year.
For the talented footballer, this was the second time she won the prestigious award after she had topped the category during the 2021 edition.
Bugeja enjoyed a fine season with Italian giants Inter, netting crucial goals in the Italian Serie A Femminile as well as the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup.
Added to that, Bugeja played a crucial role in helping the women’s national team to their second promotion in the UEFA Nations League.
The other finalists in this category were tennis player Francesca Curmi, weightlifter Tenishia Thornton, swimmer Sasha Gatt and artistic gymnast Sophie St John.
Ħamrun Spartans’ exploits after their historic journey in the UEFA Conference League was also honoured as the Malta champions snapped up two honours.
The Premier League outfit was voted the Team of the Year after becoming the first Maltese side to qualify for the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League.
Added to that, the Spartans also became the first Maltese side to win a match in the League Phase, defeating Gibraltar side Lincoln Red Imps 3-1.
The other teams that made the final of this category were the water polo U-18 national team, Luxol St Andrews Futsal, the women’s football national team, the gymnastics GSSE selection, and the Malta Pool national team that competed in the World Shoot tournament.
Giacomo Modica, the mastermind behind Ħamrun’s impressive run, was also honoured when he was named Coach of the Year.
The Italian coach managed to instill a new philosophy of football that inspired the Spartans to unprecedented success.
Modica scooped the award ahead of water polo coach Jonathan Valletta, Robert Attard, of blackball, Natalia Berchova (artistic gymnastics), and Rachid Chouhal (athletics)
Jacob Micallef was named the Young Sportsman of the Year after an impressive year in the motorsport scene.
Micallef competed consistently at a high international level in karting before making the transition to single-seater motor sport racing as he moved into Formula 4 and joined Campos Racing in the Spanish championship.
The other finalists were pool player Jake Castaldi, Nick Bonett (athletics), Nathan Mifsud (weightlifting), and Timmy Vassallo (sailing).
The young sportswoman of the year award went to artistic gymnast Sophie St John, who enjoyed an impressive in her sport in 2025.
The young gymnast bagged five medals at the Andorra GSSE, of which three were gold, and continued to impress in the Mediterranean Championships, where she clinched a silver medal in beam and bronze in vault.
St John capped a memorable year with a top 20 placing in the World Junior Championships.
Weightlifter Kim Camilleri Lagana, Chloe Amato (water polo), Emily Fenech (sailing) and Thea Parnis Coleiro (athletics) were the other finalists.
Football referee Ishmael Barbara won the Official of the Year award. Barbara was promoted to the UEFA top category for referees to end a seven-year wait for Maltese officials.
Such promotion makes Barbara eligible to officiate matches at the highest level, including League Phase matches from UEFA club competitions as well as international matches.
The other finalists in this category were Rita Azzopardi (aquatic sport), Terry Camilleri (snooker), Jesmond Caruana (weightlifting), and Vince Degiorgio (pool).
Inpire won the Sport for Social Change Award while Ħamrun Spartans collected another award as they won the main international event hosted in Malta with their organisation of the League Phase match from the UEFA Conference League.
Valletta FC defender Steve Borg won the Fair Play award.
Hall of Fame
Three veteran journalists for their contribution to the sport were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Former Times of Malta journalist Alex Vella was inducted in the Hall of Fame.
Vella began his journalism career covering football for The Times of Malta, where he quickly earned a reputation for accuracy, balance, and professionalism.
Over more than 30 years as a correspondent, he became especially respected for his authoritative coverage of water polo and swimming.
Tony Costantino was also honoured with induction in the Hall of Fame after 40 years of service to the Maltese sporting Community.
Costantino joined Freedom Press in 1967 before moving to Union Print three years later.
In 1980, he was named as sports editor, and during his career, he followed closely the performances of the men’s football national team both locally and abroad.
He retired from his sports journalism career in 2007.
The other inductee in the Hall of Fame was Antonio Briguglio.
After a distinguished career as referee, Briguglio showed great dedication towards the development of sports journalism and promotion of sporting values.
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