The Maltese Olympic Academy within the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) recently wrapped up its Schools Olympic Project and Olympic Education Experience for the Scholastic Year 2023/2024.
Both projects are offered for State, Church & Independent Schools. The Schools Olympic Project is aimed at Middle and Secondary School learners, whilst the Olympic Education Experience targets Year 5 learners attending primary schools.
These two initiatives focus on promoting the Olympic Values through dynamic programmes, where participants also engage in interactive sessions and meet Maltese Olympians who share their experiences with them.
In its attempts to give a wider perspective to these values and the Olympic Movement, MOC joined forces with the Malta Paralympic Committee, allowing learners to gain first-hand accounts of athletes’ experiences in international competitions. Athletes shared their strengths, challenges, and successes as well as valuable insights into their sporting journey.
The School Olympics programme saw participants take part in various disciplines, including Athletics-Cross Country, Basketball, Chess, Football (Men), Football (Women), Handball, Netball, Rugby, Squash, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo. The final event for the scholastic year was a football festival for U13 and U15 Girls and Boys attending local schools following the programme.
These events have been instrumental in highlighting the values embraced by the Olympic movement – Excellence, Respect, and Friendship – while illustrating what it takes to become part of the Olympic Movement. Participants are encouraged to adopt these values in their daily lives.
Amongst the Olympians participating in these programmes were Matthew Abela (Badminton), Eleanor Bezzina (Shooting), and William Chetcuti (Shooting), joining them were GSSE medallists Janet Richard (Athletics) and Clive Farrugia (Shooting).
Those representing the Paralympic movement were Paralympic swimmers Thomas Borg and Maja Theuma, and para-athletes Kurt Farrugia and Nick Mercieca both hailing from the sport of rowing.
These programmes were hosted by the Maltese Olympic Committee’s Olympic Academy and Department of Education in collaboration with the respectively affiliated Associations/Federations.
