Training for contact sports will be permitted in full as of 1 July, while official competitions for these sports will be allowed to kick off on 15 July, Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Sport Clifton Grima said on Wednesday.

In a press conference held at the Marsa Racetrack, Grima said that this was a decision that had been taken after a long consultation with health authorities, Sport Malta, and a number of sporting associations. 

He said that they had opened discussions with the Malta Olympic Committee on how this can be done, and noted that while they hadn’t made much noise over the work being done they had identified the necessary action for the current scenario.

Grima also announced that non-contact sports will be able to be practiced, including in competition format as from Friday both outdoor and indoor – although there will be certain limitations on indoor sports as one can only have a maximum of 75 people in any given place including athletes, staff, and officials.

This measure was referred to by Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci in her briefing earlier in the day when asked about the situation with regards to sports by The Malta Independent.

He said that they had worked hand-in-hand with health authorities for a return to sport, but also to maintain the health of athletes and those working within sports.

Grima said that the venue of the press conference was such in order to announce that the much-awaited horse-racing summer season will also be allowed to happen, with this starting on 3 July.

These races will be held behind closed doors.

Sport Malta CEO Mark Cutajar said that a set of guidelines will be issued by Sport Malta with the exact mitigation measures for the return to sport within them.

Such guidelines were already issued on 22 May, but these will be amended accordingly to be in line with the new measures.

He said that the timeframe had been given in advance so that clubs and associations can plan properly for their return to training and competition.

He said that this means that waterpolo leagues, amongst others, can begin.

He also revealed that applications for the Summer on the Move programme will open on Monday, noting that this will solve problems for those who want to leave their children to do physical exercise.