Officials from the Malta Olympic Committee including Director of Marketing Dr Kirill Micallef Stafrace, Director of PR/Media Mag. Antonio Mizzi and MOC Director Mr Vince Scicluna along with Mr Noel Azzopardi, General Manager of Standard Publications, publishers of The Malta Independent, yesterday announced details of a media partnership in support of sport in Malta.

Highlights of the partnership include a regular full page every Tuesday in The Malta Independent which allows the MOC to highlight its own and its members' activities in addition to news relating to international competitions such as the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, the International Olympic Committee and much more.

The MOC will also contribute to and liaise with the newspaper to feature interviews with specific athletes, international sporting persons to emphasise and spread the message about the importance of sport in our society.

The Malta Independent equally understands the role that the media has in promoting and endorsing the values of the Olympic Movement and helping to spread such values in Malta, which is why it is keen to support the Malta Olympic Committee through this partnership. Said Mr Azzopardi: "Through this partnership agreement, our newspaper hopes to give the so-called small sports associations some backing which they, from time to time, richly deserve."

It is common knowledge that sport has the capacity to touch the lives of all and the Malta Olympic teams represent the pinnacle of Maltese sport. Maltese athletes as sporting ambassadors on the international field of play help generate national pride. "The Malta Independent is proud to give them support as well as fostering belief in the capabilities of Maltese athletes," said Mr Azzopardi.

Through this initiative the MOC and The Malta Independent also hope to encourage the general public to interest themselves more in local sport and local athletes who are role models for children. Magistrate Mizzi said: "Sport not only provides good social norms but can inspire and instill positive values that can leave their mark on an individual for the rest of their life. Sport can contribute, influence and make a better person - in the long run forming a better citizen."

The Malta Independent, as Media Partner of the Olympic Movement in Malta, will continue to help develop and strengthen our communities with this same message. Maltese companies, schools, local councils together can also contribute to this same cause by realising what can be accomplished and what its social responsibility is to the Maltese future generation – using sport to address social issues and improve the well being of people.