Lino Bugeja is convinced that a daily run around the Vittoriosa streets when he was a young boy was the launching pad of his sporting career.

In an interview with the late Louis Grasso in The Athlete, Lino recalled that his mother used to wake him up early in the morning, before sunrise, and he would run through the winding streets of Vittoriosa, his birthplace, in order to be the first altar boy to serve Mass at the Dominican church.

He said that since he was very young, he had also been very interested in sport, even though between 1940 and 1943 the Second World War brought about years of extreme poverty and deprivation, as life was tough and unrelenting – mostly lived in the air-raid shelters in Vittoriosa.

Lino has remained very grateful to his sports master at the Lyceum, Paul Abela (who passed away recently), who was also a mathematics teacher. “He spotted my potential as a football player for the Lyceum first 11. I liked football a lot, but I was more attracted to athletics. It gave me more personal satisfaction than any other game. But I never abandoned the game of football,” he said.

Bugeja added that after the Second World War, Vittoriosa Stars played against the famous Floriana Ajax side (though still in their early days then). “We managed to win 1-0 and I scored the only goal. But it was mainly through our goalie Mugliett’s saves that we managed to hold on to that result. That match, and the goal, was a big boost for me. Sport became more important in my life. I forgot all about inferiority complex and I started looking forward more positively,” he added.

Asked what his favourite athletics events were, Lino said: “The 440 and 880 yards. In fact, I won several medals when taking part in the Combined Secondary Schools annual meeting. I won the Victor Ludorum trophy on several occasions,” he added.

It was when he was admitted to St Michael’s Training College that he started playing football for St George’s in the first division (equivalent to the present Premier League). “That was in 1948, after I had finished my studies at the Lyceum. And I was pushed to pursue my sports career, especially athletics, by Brother Cuthman. After one year, I was employed by the government and I became involved in all the sports activities organised by the Malta Union of Teachers, of which I had become a member.

“In 1951, I took part in the Mediterranean Games in Alexandria, but I had to fork out the sum of £11.15s 6d from my own pocket to be able to go there, as the MAAA did not have sufficient funds to send three athletes – the sum of £30 had been collected from some firms and individuals.

“George Bonello Du Puis (a former government Minister, now Malta’s ambassador to the UK) and Edward Turner, were the two other athletes. We left Malta for Port Said on 28 September. A few days before the races, we were taken for training on the newly-laid track.

“In Alexandria I managed to race the 400 in 52.8 seconds, two seconds less than the Malta record.

“But apart from the encouraging result, I also had the opportunity to meet some of the top athletes in the region. In fact, thanks to them, I became increasingly aware of the importance of diet, weight-training, peaking, visualisation and motivation,” he said.

Bugeja also recalls the days when he used to take part in athletics meetings in Malta with the participation of athletes from the British Services. “I still remember the occasion on 16 May 1953, when an MAAA Selection met an Army team and I won the 880 yards in a time of two minutes and 22 seconds. That was another great satisfaction.”

In 1966, Bugeja took up football coaching. “My first job was at Hibernians FC, with Fr Hilary Tagliaferro. I was in charge of physical fitness in that historic match against Manchester United at the old Gzira Stadium which ended in a goalless draw.

“After that spell with the Paolites, I was national youth football coach between 1972 and 1975 and I am proud to say that we managed a first ever victory against a British national side, beating Wales 1-0 on 19 March, 1975,” he said.

After that he embarked on a life-long activity – the mission of promoting sport and education, especially through his Olympic ideals.

He said: “I was appointed general secretary of the Malta Olympic Committee in 1972 and I remained there for eight years. It was difficult those days. I worked with Lawrence Xuereb, Carm Borg and Bertie Muscat, all pillars of local sport. One of the difficult decisions we took was not to send any athletes to the Canada Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976. There were no funds available and it was very expensive. We had nothing to work with and one of my primary objectives was to find some premises. On the 50th anniversary of the MOC, in 1978, we held a highly successful Olympic Week and among those invited was Willi Daume of Germany (he would have been elected IOC president instead of Antonio Samaranch had it not been for the 1980 Moscow Games boycott). Participants also included IOC Academy president Dr Petralias and Dr Beckett who lectured on the subject Against Drugs in Sport. We started making fruitful contacts. First among those who helped us was Giulio Onesti, president of Olympic Solidarity. He and the Italians helped us a lot, especially in sending athletes (through CONI) to Acqua Acetosa in Italy where they were rehabilitated for their injuries. This was when we really started consolidating our ties with the Italians.

“Despite all the adversities we encountered, our spirit and determination saw us through. Later we managed to establish our premises at the former Malta Hilton in St Julian’s.

“I feel we all made a great contribution to sport in a most difficult time and I also firmly believe those days were the real stepping stones for Maltese sport. They were a sort of launch pad – the fruits of which are being reaped even today. However, I still say that there is still a great lack of awareness of sport in Malta nowadays. And in this sense, I think the Malta Olympic Committee and the Maltese Council for Sport, have to widen their horizons and give more importance to the Sport for All programme,” he said.

In fact, Bugeja is now working on another initiative – setting up a Ramblers Association to help those who are interested in outdoor living with all its challenges, especially through country walks in Malta and Gozo. He hopes to launch this association in October.

In the 1970s, Bugeja also helped Fr Hilary in the setting up of the Educational Sports Centre at Marsa where thousands of children had a very good sports background which helped in the formation of their characters.

Another important aspect of his sporting career, and one which he cherishes with great pride, is the fact that he was a regular lecturer at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece.

“Moreover, in 1987, for eight whole years, I was appointed a course director by the IOC, forming part of a panel of experts to lecture in the English language in various parts of the world. In fact, I have lectured in places like Nigeria, Liberia, China, Qatar, Iraq, Malawi, Kenya, Somalia, Jordan, Pakistan, Brunei, Burma and the Maldives, among others. I felt it was a great honour bestowed upon me by the International Olympic Committee’s Solidarity wing,” he said.

It was in recognition of his work that the International Olympic Committee, through the Malta Olympic Committee, awarded him a special trophy in 1991 and then again in 1997. He has also received honours from the Knights of St John and two local councils in recognition of his cultural work.

In conclusion, Bugeja said sport has given him a lot of satisfaction throughout his career. “But to be a real sportsman, you have to learn that one day you win and on another day, you lose. As well as satisfaction, there is disappointment in the field of sport, but that should not discourage anyone from becoming a true sportsman or sportswoman.

“The values of sport can never be equalled. They teach us how to be tolerant and how to understand one another. Sport is a way of life – from the cradle to the grave,” he said.