This column first appeared in Malta Today

The GSSE or, as they are more commonly known, the Small Nations Games, are around the corner.

The very ethos of these games “revolves around promoting sportsmanship, friendship, and understanding among the nine smallest European countries. It’s a chance for these nations to come together and compete at a high level, fostering a sense of camaraderie and cooperation…The games are a genuine sporting contest, with athletes competing on merit and demonstrating dedication and commitment.”

So let’s bear this in mind: we start off on an equal level field, the nine smallest European nations based on population size (less than one million inhabitants). This means that each nation sends its best athletes, right?

Yet, once again, the Malta Olympic Committee has riled local athletes by choosing people who have a wafer thin connection with Malta to represent the nation, while overlooking and snubbing Maltese athletes.

This came to public attention in a FB post by Malta’s reigning national table tennis champion, Gabriel Grixti, who said that “to his disbelief”, not only was he left out of the line up for Team Malta, but that out of the six players chosen in his discipline, only one is born here. He added that, “Taxpayer money is being spent on athletes who have never contributed to our sporting community, while Maltese-born athletes who train, sacrifice, and work relentlessly are pushed aside.”

The MOC hit back claiming that Grixti had failed to attend several national team training sessions and national competitions (which is part of the criteria), using his studies as an “excuse”. While acknowledging that he had missed some training sessions because he is a fifth year medical student, Grixti pointed out that four of the selected players “have not been in Malta since 2023, let alone attended these training sessions.”

As both sides retaliated back and forth with their accusations, it was a particularly bizarre argument by the MOC which really produced a backlash, “The world of sports changed and keeping the mentality of “we are small state and I am the national champion” does not fit in the MOC’s vision.  Whilst it is an honour to be the national champion however the MOC is setting a higher standard.”

This was a loud smack in the face to local athletes which reverberated all over Malta and the reaction was immediate. Whereas usually Maltese people hold back from airing their objections when something is blatantly wrong for fear of retaliation and payback, this time, many athletes and those involved in various sports federations, expressed their strong views and backed up Grixti’s statement.

A FB page called Malta Sports Science Revolution stated:
“Being a national champion should mean something. It should count. It should carry weight It should open doors—not be ignored.
How can we improve sport at the local level if we say that our local competitions don’t count? If titles, consistency, and commitment aren’t enough—what message are we sending to every young athlete watching? I agree, local competitions are not the end point, but neither should they be ignored.”

There were many comments in the same vein, but this one particularly encapsulates the prevailing sentiment.

Alexandra Genovese (whose husband Mario is Malta’s most experienced table tennis coach) wrote “… stories like that of Gabriel Grixti are a painful reminder that the very institutions meant to nurture young talent sometimes do the opposite. Gabriel, an inspiration to many, has had his progress stifled by the same entity that is meant to promote sports among small nations. When an athlete with promise is denied support or recognition, it doesn’t just affect one individual—it sends a discouraging message to an entire generation.
The Malta Olympic Committee may not fall directly under government control, but that does not absolve public authorities of their moral responsibility. Can we really turn a blind eye and say, “It’s not our issue”? This is not a political statement. This is a plea—for Gabriel, and for all the young people we are striving to guide toward purpose, discipline, and hope.
We need to do better. We owe it to our youth to protect their dreams, not break them. Let us speak out, not just for one athlete, but for every child who believes that hard work, passion, and resilience should be enough.
Let’s be the support they deserve.”

I also received numerous messages from people involved in the sporting scene giving me further examples where hand-picked foreign athletes (who do not have any real link with Malta) are being preferred in different disciplines, while Maltese athletes are being left out in the cold.

Having criteria for athletes to qualify are obviously necessary, but the criteria cannot be malleable like chewing gum either. After the MOC failed to answer several of his legitimate questions Grixti wrote again on Thursday: “it is now clear that the MOC board responsible for the selection twisted the process to serve their own interests, blatantly ignoring the official criteria. This was done to the prejudice of athletes who, had the rules been properly followed, would undoubtedly have been selected.”

These are serious allegations and if the MOC feels it does not need to reply to questions by one athlete, it should remember that it is accountable to the entire Maltese public. It gets pretty exasperating in this country when you have people who have been appointed to boards and committees who feel they have become untouchable and cannot be questioned. Everyone and everything can and should be questioned.

The crux of the issue is this: how much real weight are we giving to the concept of what it means to represent one’s country? When an athlete gets up on that podium, when the flag is raised and the national anthem is played…if there is no real pride at having won a medal for your COUNTRY (rather than for yourself) what is the point of competing in such international competitions which are purely based on nations competing against each other?

Living in Malta for a year or two should not, in my view, give you the right to represent us. If you have ever heard sports champions being interviewed, they always speak emotionally and passionately about what it means to have brought home a gold, silver or bronze (or the equivalent honour in other sports) as proud representatives of their nation. If nationality and a genuine connection to a certain land have been rendered meaningless (in the eyes of the MOC), then why does it mean so much in the world of sports? Why do athletes wrap themselves up in their nation’s flag as they take a lap around the track? Why do supporters paint their faces with the country’s colours during major events such as the World Cup or Wimbledon? Why do we watch so eagerly any time “Malta” is competing anywhere and cheer our compatriots on, feeling ecstatic when we win and being hugely disappointed when we do not?

National identity is a profound, visceral feeling which is often intangible and not easily explained. It is not merely a country where one lives temporarily but goes much, much deeper than that and touches on where we were born, where our parents are from, the culture they raised us in and (a crucial point in my view) where we have spent our childhood and formative years. If we look at all the children born in Malta of foreign parents, who are being raised and schooled here, they will eventually feel a real connection to Malta as they grow up. It will become home and they might even consider themselves partially Maltese. The same goes for those who were brought here at a relatively young age. For this very reason, it is very possible for a person to feel that they “belong” and identify with two countries. Their parents, however, as much as they try to integrate and become part of the community will probably not describe themselves as ‘Maltese’ and that is understandable.

Nationality is also different to citizenship…which is why fast-tracking passports to athletes so they fulfil the criteria, in my view, is also reprehensible. This is completely different to someone acquiring Maltese citizenship because they have lived here for many years – and the reasons why should be obvious. The MOC claims that some of the foreign athletes who have been selected have “given back to Malta,” but if this contribution is merely one of convenience, a stop-gap measure to circumvent the rules, well then they are really stretching their own credibility.

Ultimately, the real loser here is home-grown Maltese sport. What is the point of trying to encourage our young people to strive and be the best at their chosen sport, if they look at a national line-up and see so many foreign athletes taking up the few precious places? They will give up; they will decide that all the hours and years of training are futile because they have no chance. And, one day we will look up and belatedly realise that there is not one single Maltese person representing our country on what is supposed to be “Team Malta”.