The Maltese Olympic Committee announced the names of one hundred and three athletes who made it to the final selection for 16th Edition of the annualSports Awards which will take place on Thursday 7th December at the Corinthia Hotel in Attard.
Representing twenty-two affiliated associations, these athletes stood out in their respective sporting categories and will be recognised for their accomplishments during the competition period 16th October 2016 and 15th October 2017.
Award Categories start from the Special Award, followed by Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Awards will be bestowed based on the results achieved in major international competitions organised under the auspices of the International Federation of the athletes' respective sport or a recognised and reputable International Sport Organisation.
"The Adjudicating Committee had a difficult task in selecting the finalists for this year. Naturally the results obtained in the Games of Small States of Europe topped the list of achievements, however there were a number of notable performances on the international scene that definitely deserve to be recognised" explained Julian Pace Bonello, President of the Maltese Olympic Committee.
Guest of Honour
Former international Italian footballer, Giuseppe Giannini, also known as "Il Principe", will be Guest of Honour for the evening. Giannini, spent the majority of his 16-year playing career with A.S. Roma, and was regarded by supporters as a club symbol. Giannini acquired 47 caps for Italy and starred in the teams that reached the semi-finals of the 1988 UEFA European Championship, and subsequently the 1990 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
Hall of Fame
The Maltese Olympic Committee also announced the induction of Tonio Briguglio
and Guzi Grech in the Hall of Fame for their contributions both in the field of play as well as in the administrative roles they occupied.
The finalists
Malta Amateur Athletics Association
Sarah Busuttil, Rachel Fitz, Ian Paul Grech, Rebecca Saré, Annalise Vassallo, Charlotte Wingfield
Aquatic Sports Association of Malta
Andrew Chetcuti, Matthew Galea, Michael Stafrace, Michael Umnov, Matthew Zammit
Malta Basketball Association
Women National Basketball Team
Klabbs tal-Bocci
David Farrugia, Stefan Farrugia
Federation of Body Builders
Blanche Coppola, Ralph Decelis, Antoine Zerafa
Malta Canoe Federation
Aleksey Babadjanov, Samuel Borg, Melanie Schembri Waite
Malta Cycling Federation
Stephanie Alden, Marie Claire Aquilina, Etienne Bonello, Maurice Formosa, James Mifsud, Alexander Pettett, Michelle Vella Wood
Malta Golf Association
Nicholas Beck, Andrew Borg, Ruud Critien, John Junior Verelst Micallef
Malta Judo Federation
Rodney Zammit
Malta Karate Federation
Emma Grech
Lotta Maltija
Gary Giordimaina
Malta Pool Association
Anton Cuschieri, Men National Pool Team
Malta Racing Club
Noel Baldacchino
Malta Rugby Football Union
Men National Rugby Team
Malta Shooting Federation
Eleanor Bezzina, Gianluca Chetcuti, Bozidar Dimitrov, Frans Pace, Nathan Lee Xuereb
Malta Squash Association
Kimberley Galea, Johanna Rizzo, Colette Sultana
Malta Table Football Sports Association
Angelo Borg, Samuel Bartolo, Massimo Cremona, Hansel Mallia
Malta Table Tennis Association
Viktoria Lucenkova, Jessica Pace
Malta Tennis Federation
Matthew Asciak, Francesca Curmi, Elaine Genovese, Omar Sudzuka
Malta Tenpin Bowling Association
Sue Abela, Mauro Anastasi, Kurt Attard, Juliana Bonanno, Tiziana Carranante, Justin Caruana Scicluna, Ayrton Ciangura, Matthew Magro, Nicholas Muscat, Shadon Psaila, Mark Spiteri, Edward Xuereb
Sara Xuereb
Malta Triathlon Federation
Graham Borg, Hannah Pace
Malta Weightlifting Association
Matthew Camilleri, Kyle Micallef, Keiran Mifsud, Elisa Scicluna, Yazmin Zammit Stevens
The MOC Sports Awards evening will be transmitted live on TVM2.