He was wrapping up a national conference on sport that discussed a medium term plan (2007-2010) on reshaping sport.

Dr Gonzi said that politicians should take up the challenge of using sport in order to achieve the 2015 government vision that endeavours at making Malta a centre of excellence in the Mediterranean.

The prime minister stated that in theory, Malta should always be a loser since it appears to be inferior when considering economies of scale; however, this is not true because with professionalism, dedication and organisations Malta can achieve good results.

He referred to the successful Maltese contingent to the Special Olympics held in October in China.

He said that the Maltese disabled athletes competed against sporting super powers such as the US and China; however, they were extremely successful, partly due to the great preparation and professionalism.

Dr Gonzi said he was extremely delighted to meet the athletes at Castille following their return with a haul of medals. Being told what was involved in the preparation of the athletes and the logistics of the visit to Shanghai made him realise that there are harder jobs than being a prime minister, he said.

Investment in education, he said, was the secret of Malta’s success. It was thanks to ever increasing investment in education that the Maltese were enjoying a high quality of life. Dr Gonzi said the Maltese were always positively responsive to investment in education and thus achieved greater heights.

The prime minister referred to a document regarding the contribution of sport towards Malta’s Gross Domestic Product, which was discussed during the conference. He explained that in drafting the government’s 2015 Vision, he took into consideration a number of resources which people tend to forget. “It is not true that we lack resources,” he said, adding that hospitability, closeness to both continental Europe and Africa and a mild climate were all important resources for Malta. Dr Gonzi said an organised sport sector would certainly be an important ingredient in a bid to upgrade the country.

To this end, he said, there is the need for more investment. Dr Gonzi said government in the last 10 years spent around Lm13million in sport. “This is not enough,” he said as he told the audience that the country needs new capital and recurrent expenditure in the sector in order to develop better facilities and upgrade the level of coaches and teachers in sport.

Dr Gonzi remembered that in his youth sport meant football, athletics and tennis. Later in life, he said, he realised that there are so many different sports and coming from a background in voluntary work, understood that NGOs must never be over regulated. He said that on drafting the Voluntary Organisations Act, the government took great care at promoting accountability and transparency without tying a noose round NGOs.

The prime minister also spoke about new measures introduced in the 2008 budget that would give tax cuts to families who encourage their children to take up sport. He said that government was to take stock on whether the measure was successful and promote it further.

Referring to an earlier speech by Director of Sport of the Malta Olympic Committee Pippo Psaila, Dr Gonzi said that a winner is he who takes pride in his own achievements and who will become stronger after a defeat.

Education Minister Louis Galea thanked all those who attended the three sessions of the conference. Participation, he said, was indicative of how people want sport to be ingrained in society.

After paying tribute to the council’s chief executive officer Joe Cassar for the sterling work, Minister Galea said the conference was an important chapter on how sport and physical activity should be viewed in Malta adding that government was to start working on incorporating the conference’s suggestions into its policies.