The Malta Olympic Committee Sports Award - an annual event held near the end of the year - has become a source of motivation for the local athletes.

Now in its fifth year, the event has become one of the most important in the sporting calendar as it not only recognises the feats achieved by the country's top sportsmen and sportswomen, but also rewards the various athletes who performed those feats.

It is a just reward for all those who would have striven to make a name for themselves and for their country during some months of real endeavour - hard training, commitment and determination - not to mention the large number of sacrifices one has to go through to achieve such feats.

The MOC has four different categories - Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze - where the successful athletes can be placed. But although there is a significant difference between one category and another, it is evident that even those who have won the Bronze award, that is, the lowest of the four categories, have had their achievement recognised officially by the Malta Olympic Committee.

My congratulations go to the 50 nominated athletes or officials who have graced the stage during the past 12 months. They really deserved it, not just for the results they obtained, but also for the fact that they provided a good image for Malta through their performances.

Praise, however, should not be showered only on these athletes. Let us all not forget that to get to last Tuesday’s Awards, there were others who helped them achieve their feats. Let us not forget those members of the athletes’ families who, with the athletes themselves, made several sacrifices to see their children triumph. Let us not forget the dedication of the coaches and the support of the various federations or associations to which they belong.

And had it not been for the financial support of the Maltese Council for Sport as well as the various MOC sponsors who provide valuable financial aid, and the technical assistance of the Malta Olympic Committee, such feats would not have been possible.

Here, once again, I appeal to all those concerned, especially the government, to realise to what extent sport is lending a helping hand to the country building a better image.

I have always insisted that sport should be given special treatment by the authorities. Unfortunately, despite the substantial aid provided by the government, it is not enough. I agree completely with what the MOC Director of Sport, Pippo Psaila, said recently that Malta's athletes could achieve much better results were they to be provided with more financial aid, as, after all, other countries, even the small ones in Europe, do.

I can safely say that with the amount provided by the government to the Maltese Council for Sport and what the latter passes on to the Malta Olympic Committee, miracles are being performed when we compare results, conditions, etc with those of other countries.

Maltese sport certainly deserves better funding, especially for those athletes aspiring for the top. It is there that we have to concentrate our efforts in the immediate future.

However, the rest of sport cannot be ignored. Take a glance at the list of nominees for the sports awards and one finds that apart from the expected winners, there were others who pertain to the various so-called small associations.

Apart from lack of funds, local sport still needs more and better equipped facilities. In recent years we have made a quality leap in some facilities, but everyone admits we still lag behind most, if not all, the other countries considered as the small states.

If such help is forthcoming, I am sure that this year’s Award winners will prove to be real ambassadors for Maltese sport and act as role models for tomorrow’s sportsmen and sportswomen.

Finally, I also congratulate the six sportsmen or officials who have been inducted into the Malta Olympic Committee's Hall of Fame.

Hats off to the person who dreamt of such an award. This is the real recognition for sportsmen/sportswomen, officials or whoever who had made Malta proud in the past.

It is a pity that not all are included in the list. I am sure there are others who might also have thought they deserved the award. But then, is it possible to include everyone? Of course not, and one has to be realistic enough to concede that such awards go, first and foremost, to the top performers.

Again, a big well done to all the winners and also to the organisers of the event.