The Finance Ministry has invested €13,000 in two coastal rowing boats for the University of Malta Rowing Boat Club.

These boats are the first of their kind in Malta.

“This was achieved through the hard work of dedicated students who want to see more investment in the sports sector,” President of the Club Rebekah Caruana said.

The Club was launched in 2015 and last year it invested in rowing machines for training. However, it always aimed at getting the right equipment for proper training.

Thanks to this investment the club will be able to alternate between land and water training, Caruana said while appealing for the government to keep helping student organisations reach their goals. In this case, the club is aiming to get more boats or varying capacities so that couple and eventually quad training is possible at sea.

She added that the boats will receive the names of two renowned figures at the UM; Tessi Camilleri, the first female graduate in Malta, and archaeologist and former UM rector Sir Temi Zammit.

UM Rector Alfred J. Vella explained that sports are considered as an academic endeavour as well in this university.

“These boats are not like the ones we are accustomed to seeing used in rivers as these are made for coasts, and seeing that we are surrounded by coasts, this is the sport we should be excelling in, even on an international level.”

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna commended Caruana and the rest of the club for facing all the challenges that come with management of a project of this scale, especially with regards to something innovative.

“A lot of people may look at certain sports as ‘elite’ but this initiative shows that there are opportunities and people who are willing to help make projects a reality, as this government is doing.”

He encouraged for more students to approach the Good Causes Fund of the Ministry and not hesitate asking for financial aid.