Government sports entity awards its own minister

Guests attending the latest sports awards organised by the government sports entity SportMalta said they were surprised to witness one of the recognition awards for the agency’s tenth anniversary being presented to the minister who oversees it.

The glitzy ceremony held last week was conceived by the agency’s government-appointed CEO, Mark Cutajar, who gave his boss the most significant political mileage possible.

Minister Clifton Grima was called to the stage to receive his award during a ceremony meant to celebrate the top achievers in Maltese sports over the past decade.

According to Mark Cutajar, the minister was recognised for his “leadership and unwavering support for Maltese sport.”

Some who attended spoke to The Shift, saying this was not the only questionable award presented at the ceremony.

Another award was given to Alfred Cachia, a water polo veteran and one of the minister’s nominees on the board of the government agency in recent years, who is also known to be a canvasser for the minister in his district.

Guests told The Shift that these awards have become so common that they are losing significance and value. They argued that the event should not have been used as a platform to promote a government politician.

“Clifton Grima is not to blame, although he should have been more discerning. The real issue lies with the government appointee, who decided to embarrass the minister in an effort to appease his superior. Maltese sport remains amateurish,” one veteran sports administrator to The Shift.

These latest so-called ‘recognition awards’ are part of a series of similar awards presented throughout the year in the sports sector.

Besides SportMalta, the Malta Olympic Committee and the Sports Journalists Association also organise separate gala sports events that award numerous prizes.

Among those awarded by Cutajar was Karl Izzo, President of the Aquatic Sports Association and a close friend of the SportMalta CEO.

Various sports organisations have criticised SportMalta over the years, particularly for failing to prepare timely sports facilities for the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) held in 2023.

Despite this significant shortcoming, Minister Grima reappointed Mark Cutajar, a former ONE TV journalist, for another term at the agency’s helm.