 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2018) |
Sports in Malta include association football, basketball, athletics, rugby, tennis, cycling, and others.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2018) |
Sports in Malta include association football, basketball, athletics, rugby, tennis, cycling, and others.
Association football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Malta. The national stadium is called Ta' Qali Stadium. The national football team has won several matches over big opponents that reached the final phases in World Cups, such as Belgium and Hungary. Recently a large number of football grounds have been built throughout the island. The top football league in Malta is called the Maltese Premier League, and consists of 14 teams. Futsal is also very popular.[ citation needed ]
Malta is a good place for surfing and offers a lot of different surf spots. [1] During winter time most of the beaches transform into surfer hangouts.
Water polo is also very popular in Malta. The Malta men's national water polo team has achieved some great results against strong teams, and has competed in the Olympics twice. Maltese clubs participate in the European Club competitions organised by LEN, are seen as being in the top 10 water polo leagues in Europe.[ citation needed ]
Boċċi is the Maltese version of the Italian game of bocce, French pétanque and British bowls. Other than certain differences in rules and the ground on which the game is played, one of the most obvious differences between Maltese boċċi and foreign equivalents is the shape of the bowls themselves which tend to be cylindrical rather than spherical in shape. Many small clubs (usually called Klabbs tal-Boċċi in Maltese) can be found in Maltese and Gozitan localities, and are usually well-frequented and are quite active on a local and European level. Even the emigrants to Canada, Australia, and The United States have taken the game with them and now forms an important part of their social scene. [2]
Maltese National Hockey League is the official field hockey league in Malta, with just 4 teams participating in the National League.
The National Hockey Stadium is located in Paola, Kordin. It is the only location with regulation facilities available in the country.
The Malta National Hockey Team occasionally participates in international fixtures.
Rugby Union has been played in Malta since the beginning of the 20th century, with evidence of rugby pitches at RAF Ta' Qali Air Field in the 1920s and other fields in RAF Luqa Air Field. The Malta Rugby Football Union was formed in 1991. 5 clubs are established in Malta - Falcons, Kavallieri, Overseas, Stompers and Wolves. In October 2021 the national men's team was ranked 41st in the world. They have recently been achieving success, defeating teams including Sweden, Croatia and Latvia. In 2018, Malta achieved its largest win against Andorra, that of 89-3. [3] As of 2016 Malta Rugby Union had 2,480 registered players. [4]
Rugby league is also played in Malta, primarily due to return migration of Maltese Australians bringing it back with them. In July 2022, the national men's team was ranked 10th in the world. The national team are known as the Malta Knights, and boast players currently playing in the Super League in England such as Jarrod Sammut, Jake Mamo, the most famous player to come from Malta would be former South Sydney Rabbitohs, Mario Fenech. In 2016 Malta Rugby League had 285 players, with the large majority based in Australia. [5]
Motorsport includes drag racing represented by the Malta Drag Racing Association, with recent high ranking Maltese dragsters in official FIA European championships. There is also autocross (ASMK), hill climb (Island Car Club), motocross, karting and banger racing championships. [6]
In 2020, Malta got its first-ever female head coach leading a men’s Division One basketball team. It was Silvia Gambino who started the position at Mellieħa S.C. Libertas. [7]
Malta has a first division for women's volleyball teams. The president of the national federation MVA has been Jesmond Saliba. [8]
Malta also hosts a snooker round, the Malta Cup, which as of 2008 [update] became a non-ranking event.[ citation needed ] In 2008 Malta's Tony Drago was a member of a victorious European Mosconi Cup team, which was played in Portomaso, Malta.[ citation needed ] Claudio Cassar was World Blackball Champion in 2014.
The most notable Maltese shooter is William Chetcuti, who won medals at the Commonwealth Games and Mediterranean Games, and ranked in the top 8 at the Olympic Games and ISSF World Championships.
Boxer Jeff Fenech is of Maltese descent. [9] Recently contact sports such as Boxing and Kickboxing have become increasingly popular.[ citation needed ]
Malta are an affiliate member of the ICC & has full Twenty20 International status. Home games are played at Marsa. In 2020 there was a T20 summer domestic league consisting of 12 teams, and in 2019 a 50-over winter league which comprised 5 teams.
Along with other sports, tennis is a popular activity in Malta and Gozo. The islands offer a wide range of options for both beginners and elite players. Clubs are spread out across Malta and games are being played on a regular basis all year around.
There ,are over 1,200 rock climbing routes in Malta. The island offers a mixture of both trad climbing and sport climbing and also offers a good variety of bouldering and deep water soloing. The geography and small size of the island makes the climbing easily accessible. The sport is growing in popularity with local communities, as well as tourists and visitors.[ citation needed ]
Malta debuted at the Olympic Games in Amsterdam 1928. No Maltese competitor has won an Olympic medal.
The country has claimed seven medals at the Paralympics, seven medals at the Commonwealth Games and nine at the Mediterranean Games
| Number | Locality | Football | Futsal | Waterpolo | Boċċi | Handball | Basketball | Rugby Union | Athletics | Regatta | Darts | Billiards | Volleyball | Hockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valletta | Valletta F.C. Valletta St. Paul's Valletta Stars Rovers United | Valletta Futsal Club | Valletta United W.P.C. | St. Paul's
| Valletta Lions (defunct) | Marsamxett Valletta | Valletta V.C. | ||||||
| 2 | Mdina | Mdina Knights F.C. | Mdina Knights Futsal | |||||||||||
| 3 | Attard | Attard F.C. | Attard Futsal (defunct) | |||||||||||
| 4 | Balzan | Balzan F.C. | Balzan Futsal (defunct) | Balzan V.C. | ||||||||||
| 5 | Vittoriosa | Vittoriosa Stars F.C. | Birgu | |||||||||||
| 6 | Birkirkara | Birkirkara F.C. Birkirkara St. Joseph Mrieħel Devon Fleur-de-Lys | Mrieħel ESS | Birkirkara Boċċi Club | Aloysians H.C. | Birkirkara Alligators (defunct) | Birkirkara St. Joseph | Aloysians V.C. Birkirkara V.C. Fleur-de-lys V.C. | ||||||
| 7 | Birzebbugia | Birżebbuġa St. Peter's F.C. Birzebbugia Tigers | Birzebbuga A.S.C. | Birżebbuġa | Birżebbuġa | Birżebbuġa St. Peter BC Birżebbuġa Cox | ||||||||
| 8 | Cospicua | St. George's F.C. Cospicua Dynamos | St. George's Futsal | Cospicua Boċċi Club | De La Salle H.C. | Bormla | ||||||||
| 9 | Swieqi | Swieqi United F.C. | Swieqi United Futsal Swieqi United U-21 Futsal | Swieqi Phoenix H.C. | Overseas RUFC | Swieqi Phoenix V.C. | ||||||||
| 10 | Lija | Lija Athletic F.C. | Lija Boċċi Club | |||||||||||
| 11 | Floriana | Floriana F.C. Floriana AFC | Klabb Boċċi Floriana | Floriana Basketball Club | Floriana Ajax Floriana Bocci Club | Young Stars Hockey Club | ||||||||
| 12 | Sliema | Sliema Wanderers F.C. | Sliema ASC | Stompers RFC | Sliema Inter DC | Sliema Hotsticks Hockey Club | ||||||||
| 13 | Gżira | Gżira United F.C. | Gżira Athleta | |||||||||||
| 14 | Paola | Hibernians F.C. Paola Kordin | Hibernians Futsal (defunct) Paola Downtown Futsal Club (defunct) | Hibernians Basketball | ||||||||||
| 15 | St. Julian's | Melita F.C. | Melita Futsal (defunct) | San Giljan ASC | ||||||||||
| 16 | Senglea | Senglea Athletic F.C. | Senglea | Senglea Conquest | ||||||||||
| 17 | Mosta | Mosta F.C. Mosta Vikings AFC Mosta Gunners | Mosta Futsal Club ZC Excess Futsal Club (defunct) (Bidnija) | Mosta Boċċi Club | Mosta Horseshoe | |||||||||
| 18 | Naxxar | Naxxar Lions F.C. | Naxxar Motors Futsal (defunct) Naxxar Lions FC Futsal | Starlites | ||||||||||
| 19 | Ħamrun | Ħamrun Spartans F.C. | Ħamrun Spartans Futsal (defunct) | Ħamrun Education Ħamrun Bayern | ||||||||||
| 20 | St. Paul's Bay | Sirens F.C. | Sirens ASC | Bugibba New Sun City Bugibba Whyte Harte | ||||||||||
| 21 | Qormi | Qormi F.C. Qormi Eagles | Qormi Futsal Club | Qormi Boċċi Club St. Sebastian Boċċi Club | Kavallieri Rugby Football Club Qormi Wasps | Qormi Hockey | Qormi Hockey Club | |||||||
| 22 | Rabat | Rabat Ajax F.C. | Rabat Hockey Club | |||||||||||
| 23 | Żebbuġ | Żebbuġ Rangers F.C. | Żebbuġ Boċċi Klabb | |||||||||||
| 24 | Marsa | Marsa F.C. Marsa St. Michael's | Marsa | Marsa Top Gun RS Marsa St. Michael | ||||||||||
| 25 | Msida | Msida St. Joseph F.C. | University of Malta Students Futsal Junior College Futsal (defunct) | Msida Boċċi Club | ||||||||||
| 26 | Żejtun | Żejtun Corinthians F.C. | Żejtun Domus Żejtun Lacci | |||||||||||
| 27 | Pembroke | Pembroke Athleta F.C. | Luxol St. Andrews Futsal Club Luxol Futsal Team B (defunct) | Luxol | White Hart Hockey Club | |||||||||
| 28 | Marsaskala | Marsaskala F.C. | Marsaskala Futsal Club | Marsaskala SC | Marsascala Heat Hockey Club (Juniors) | |||||||||
| 29 | Gudja | Gudja United F.C. | Gudja PO's Bar | |||||||||||
| 30 | Tarxien | Tarxien Rainbows F.C. | Tarxien JMI (defunct) | |||||||||||
| 31 | Fgura | Fgura United F.C. | Fgura PL Club | |||||||||||
| 32 | Żurrieq | Żurrieq F.C. Żurrieq Wolves | Żurrieq Futsal Club | Żurrieq F.C. | ||||||||||
| 33 | Kalkara | Kalkara United F.C. | Kalkara | Kalkara St. Joseph | ||||||||||
| 34 | Siġġiewi | Siġġiewi F.C. | Siġġiewi Ta' Klaricc | |||||||||||
| 35 | Marsaxlokk | Marsaxlokk F.C. | Marsaxlokk ASC | |||||||||||
| 36 | Qrendi | Qrendi F.C. Qrendi Sparrows AFC | Falcons RFC | |||||||||||
| 37 | Mqabba | Mqabba F.C. | Mqabba St. Mary BC Mqabba Tal-Gilju | |||||||||||
| 38 | Kirkop | Kirkop United F.C. | ||||||||||||
| 39 | Santa Luċija | Santa Lucia F.C. Santa Lucia Falcons AFC | Santa Lucija Bocci | |||||||||||
| 40 | Mellieħa | Mellieħa S.C. | ||||||||||||
| 41 | Mtarfa | Mtarfa F.C. | Depiro | |||||||||||
| 42 | Mġarr | Mġarr United F.C. | ||||||||||||
| 43 | Dingli | Dingli Swallows F.C. | ||||||||||||
| 44 | Għargħur | Għargħur F.C. | ||||||||||||
| 45 | San Ġwann | San Ġwann F.C. | San Ġwann Futsal (defunct) | |||||||||||
| 46 | Pietà | Pietà Hotspurs F.C. | Pietà Hotspurs Futsal (defunct) | |||||||||||
| 47 | Ta' Xbiex | Ta' Xbiex F.C. | Ta' Xbiex WPC | |||||||||||
| 48 | Santa Venera | Santa Venera Lightnings F.C. | ||||||||||||
| 49 | Luqa | Luqa St. Andrews F.C. | Luqa St. Andrews Futsal (defunct) | |||||||||||
| 50 | Għaxaq | Għaxaq F.C. | ||||||||||||
| 51 | Żabbar | Żabbar St. Patrick F.C. | Żabbar St. Patrick Futsal (defunct) | |||||||||||
| 52 | Xgħajra | Xgħajra Tornados F.C. |
| Summer Olympic Sports |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Sports |
| |
| Other IOC Recognised Sports |
| |
| Paralympics and Disabled Sports | ||
| Others Sports | ||
Sport in Ireland plays an important role in Irish society. The many sports played and followed in Ireland include Gaelic games, association football, horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, basketball, fishing, handball, motorsport, boxing, tennis, hockey, golf, rowing, cricket, and rugby union.
Sport in Cornwall includes two sports not found elsewhere in the world, except in areas influenced by Cornish culture i.e. the Cornish forms of wrestling and hurling. The sports otherwise most closely associated with Cornwall are rugby union football and surfing.
Sport in New Zealand largely reflects the nation's colonial heritage, with some of the most popular sports being rugby union, rugby league, cricket, association football, basketball, horse racing and netball, which are primarily played in Commonwealth countries. New Zealand has enjoyed success in many sports, notably rugby union, rugby league, cricket, America's Cup sailing, world championship and Olympics events, and motorsport.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sports:
Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan. Football has also gained popularity in recent years, and is the second most popular sport in the country. Field hockey is the national sport, and was popular for several decades, with some of Pakistan's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport, along with squash. Polo and traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played.
Sport plays a central role in Scottish culture. The temperate, oceanic climate has played a key part in the evolution of sport in Scotland, with all-weather sports like association football and golf dominating the national sporting consciousness. However, many other sports are played in the country, with popularity varying between sports and between regions.
For a small country, sport in the Isle of Man plays an important part in making the island known to the wider world. The principal international sporting event held on the island is the annual Isle of Man TT motorcycling event. However, the Isle of Man is represented internationally in a number of other sports at the Commonwealth Games and the Island Games.
Sport is an important part of the culture of Western Australia.
Sport in Italy has a long tradition. In several sports, both individual and team, Italy has good representation and many successes. The most popular sport in Italy is football. Italy's national football team is one of the world's most successful teams with four FIFA World Cup victories and two UEFA Euro victories. Italian clubs have won 48 major European trophies, making Italy the second most successful country in European football. Italy's top-flight club football league is named Serie A and is followed by millions of fans around the world.
Unlike in most countries in Europe, sports in Luxembourg are not concentrated upon a particular national sport, but encompasses a number of sports, both team and individual. Despite the lack of a central sporting focus, over 100,000 people in Luxembourg, which has a total population of only 610,000, are licensed members of one sports federation or another.
Sport in England plays a prominent role in English society. Popular teams sports in England include association football, cricket, field hockey, rugby union, rugby league, and netball. Major individual sports include badminton, athletics, tennis, boxing, golf, cycling, motorsport, and horseracing. Cricket is regarded as the national summer sport. Association football is the most popular sport, followed by cricket, tennis and rugby. A number of modern sports were codified in England during the nineteenth century, among them cricket, rugby union, rugby league, football, field hockey, bandy, squash, tennis, and badminton. The game of baseball was first described in 18th century England.
Sport in Wales plays a prominent role in Welsh culture. Like the other countries of the United Kingdom, Wales enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup and in the Rugby World Cup, but competes as part of Great Britain in some other competitions, including the Olympics.
Sport in Europe tends to be highly organized with many sports having professional leagues. The origins of many of the world's most popular sports today lie in the codification of many traditional games, especially in the United Kingdom. However, a paradoxical feature of European sport is the extent to which local, regional and national variations continue to exist, and even in some instances to predominate.
Sport in Croatia has significant role in Croatian culture, and many local sports clubs as well as the Croatian national squads enjoy strong followings in the country. The most enduring sport by far in Croatia is football, and is played on amateur and professional levels amongst all age groups across the entire country. Several other major team sports are handball, basketball and water polo, with clubs in all parts of Croatia. Ice hockey is another popular team sport, namely in the Croatian interior. The most popular individual sports in Croatia are tennis, alpine skiing, and swimming, and to some extent table tennis and chess. Various amateur sport games are popular in Croatia, notably picigin.
Sport is a significant aspect of the culture on the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Outside general recreational activities such as walking, gym or bushwalking, the most popular sports in Tasmania are swimming, athletics/track and field, cycling/mountain biking, golf and Australian rules football. Netball ranks as the most popular team sport for female participation, while cricket leads among male participants. The most widely played team sport is soccer, with an estimated 36,773 Tasmanians, comprising 6.8% of the state’s population, participating annually.
Sports in Portugal are important in Portuguese culture. High-profile, successful competitive athleticism and sportsmanship in Portugal can be traced back to the time of Ancient Rome. Gaius Appuleius Diocles was a noteworthy charioteer born in Lamego who became one of the most celebrated athletes in ancient history. He is often cited as the highest-paid athlete of all time. Football is the most popular sport in Portugal. Other than football, many other professional or semi-professional well organized sport competitions take place every season in Portugal, including basketball, swimming, athletics, tennis, gymnastics, futsal, rink hockey, team handball, volleyball, surfing, canoeing and rugby union championships among the hundreds of sports played in this country.
Greece has risen to prominence in a number of sporting areas in recent decades. Football in particular has seen a rapid transformation, with the Greece national football team winning the UEFA Euro 2004. Many Greek athletes have also achieved significant success and have won world and olympic titles in numerous sports during the years, such as basketball, wrestling, water polo, athletics, weightlifting, with many of them becoming international stars inside their sports. The successful organisation of the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games led also to the further development of many sports and has led to the creation of many world class sport venues all over Greece and especially in Athens. Greek athletes have won a total 169 medals for Greece in 17 different Olympic sports at the Summer Olympic Games, including the Intercalated Games, an achievement which makes Greece one of the top nations globally, in the world's rankings of medals per capital
Because of Lebanon's unique geography, both summer and winter sports thrive in the country. In fact, during autumn and spring it is sometimes possible to engage in both activities on the same day; for example, skiing in the morning and swimming in the afternoon.
India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the Groupstage of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
