Over the course of six days in July, St George’s Square will be turned into something that Malta has never seen before. The Algida Valletta Beach Volleyball Tournament will transform the square into a beach volleyball arena, using 50 tonnes of sand to do so.

The event, organised by the Valletta Volleyball Club in collaboration with the Valletta 2018 Foundation, will involve top Maltese and international teams along with fun games which will involve Maltese TV personalities as well as children.

The announcement of this event brought some concern amongst the public.  Many took to social media to express their displeasure at the event, displeasure that was based on the choice of location and the potential damage to the square that this quantity of sand could cause. Some also questioned whether Valletta Local Council had been consulted in the organisation of this event no doubt with reference to previous disagreements that the Council has had with the Valletta 2018 Foundation.

The Malta Independent on Sunday contacted Valletta mayor Alexiei Dingli about the event, to ask him about the matters referred to above. He confirmed that Valletta Local Council had indeed been consulted regarding the organisation of this event and had, in fact, been asked to sponsor it – a request which was turned down because, by law, the local council cannot sponsor such events.

When asked about what measures the event organisers will be taking to protect St George’s Square, Dingli said that they have purchased a specific inflatable court which will hold the sand in an enclosed area. There will also be additional wood and canvas in place to protect the paving of the square.

At the time of the press conference announcing this event, the necessary permits had not been issued by the local council, Dingli said. However, the council is currently in the process of gathering the ‘no objections’ from other relevant entities and is in discussion with the organisers so that the necessary permits are issued.

In terms of the location of the event, both the official announcement and Dingli pointed to other events that have been held in iconic squares and cityscapes – such as Rome, Piazza Del Duomo in Milan and under the Eiffel Tower in Paris – as examples to show that such an event can be a success.

Despite all this, Dingli himself is still boycotting the Foundation, saying that “nothing has changed, so I don’t see why I have to change my position.” This position was established last May, after Dingli wrote a scathing letter to Valletta 2018 Foundation chairman Jason Micallef, accusing him of systematically excluding the local council from its activities.

The Algida Valletta Beach Volleyball Tournament will be taking place in St George’s Square, Valletta between 17 and 22 July