University of Malta student political organisation Studenti Demokristjani Maltin (SDM) have launched a sportive social campaign entitled ‘be a winner,’ aimed at creating more awareness towards sports and physical fitness.

SDM President Ian Zahra said that the organisation would like to show students and the public that the group does not just carry out initiatives around election-time, but it seeks to continually address issues which effect students’ lives.

SDM Vice President Gabriel Micallef spoke of previous initiatives carried out by the organisation, such as a fundraising campaign for the needy called ‘pro7000’ and a bullying campaign called ‘draw the line.’

Secretary General of the group, Neil Smart Constantino explained that the campaign will be based on three pillars: surveying the current situation in Malta and Gozo – with a focus on students, creating an online campaign that will encourage consultation and promote the usage of existing sportive facilities and lastly a conference bringing together politicians, policy makers and students to come up with an action plan on how to encourage the public to prioritise physical fitness.

The press conference took place at the University of Malta athletics track, which is clearly in a deteriorating state. Mr Zara said that the location for the conference was to highlight how students are not making use of the facilities at hand, and also highlight the low prioritisation of sports at the University.

He made note of Malta’s high obesity rates, and the need for a cultural shift with the way the public views exercise and sport.