Following objections by MEPA, the drifting competition King Of Europe Malta meant to be held at MonteKristo Estates has now moved to Hal Far.

The competition, which was to be held at MonteKristo Estates, was due to start this afternoon at 3pm and continues on Sunday, however organizers were only informed by MEPA this afternoon that the three-day permit would not be issued. Up until 7pm this evening, organizers were left in the dark on whether it would proceed or not.

The event is being sponsored by two government organizations - The Malta Sports Council and VisitMalta.com  

The event was to include participation of 13 foreign teams, some of which have already arrived on the island. Some 65 million people were expected to follow the event on television.

In a press conference this morning, events promoter Adrian Figallo said that MEPA initially said it had no objection to the event, if the venue it was held in was licensed. However, on September 30, it filed an objection, saying there was an enforcement order on site. The organizers are insisting that the venue, which was used for Il-Fiera l-Kbira, has all the necessary permits. According to Mr Figallo, MEPA are doing this to pressure the owner of the place, Charles Polidano to pay the outstanding fines.

The organizers also spoke with the Prime Minister about the situation, however, he insisted that this was an enforcement issue, and MEPA is ultimately an independent authority "Mepa has asked for an illegal zoo to be closed and other structures to be removed," Dr Muscat said.

 

The Motor Sports Federation expressed its disappointment, saying it is unfair that motor sports enthusiasts are being used as guinea pigs for MEPA to pressure owner Mr Polidano. President of the Association Tonio Cini said that if the event is not held, it would cost hundreds of thousands of euros, apart from the bad publicity for Malta. The event was launched in August by Parliamentary Secretary Chris Aguis.