The Senglea Regatta Club has announced its intention to take legal action following a highly controversial incident during this week’s Freedom Day Regatta, held on Monday. In a strongly worded official statement, the club accused rivals Bormla (Cospicua) Regatta Club of violating sporting rules and engaging in disruptive behaviour that ultimately cost Senglea the overall victory in Category A.
According to the statement, Senglea were leading the competition convincingly after winning the first race and placing second in the second event, giving them a 12-point advantage over second-placed Birgu. Their commanding lead extended further after another dominant victory in the third race (Dgħajsa tal-Pass ta’ Żewġ Mqadef), where they were declared official winners, pushing their lead to 24 points.
However, the club alleges that following this race, Bormla initiated a protest by deliberately blocking the racecourse with their boats to halt the next scheduled events. It is claimed that members of the Bormla club also stormed the Valletta Waterfront, confronting event organisers and club delegates with insults and what has been described as intimidating behaviour. Birgu later joined the protest by sending their boat to support Bormla’s actions.
Senglea’s representatives were reportedly informed of the situation and promptly confronted organisers. The club claims that from that moment on, the rules were openly flouted. Specifically, they cited multiple breaches of the Regatta Rulebook, including: Rule 7.6, which prohibits protests during the regatta, with any complaints to be filed in writing within 15 days after the event; Rule 4.2, which states that the Technical Board may only be convened in extreme situations such as death or dangerous weather conditions; and Rule 3.13, which outlines that in the case of a collision within the first 200 metres, the race should be stopped immediately, a procedure the club insists was ignored. They also pointed to Rule 3.20, which gives organisers the authority to stop a race at any time, a power they claim was not exercised when it should have been.
The club further claims that the race had already been concluded, and Senglea had been officially declared the winner by race officials, with results posted on social media. After what Senglea called an “unjust and unprecedented” decision, the Technical Board allegedly ordered that the third race be repeated. Senglea, Bormla and Birgu all took part in the re-run “under protest”, and according to the club’s statement, all three crews rowed deliberately slowly, leaving the outcome unchallenged as a symbolic gesture against the decision. The club insists this demonstrates that even Bormla and Birgu rowers did not agree with the Board’s ruling.
Senglea Regatta Club has now confirmed that it will be initiating legal proceedings against those it deems responsible for what it calls a “blatant miscarriage of sporting justice.” The club has called for the event’s organisers to rectify the decision and reinstate their original victory as officially recognised.
“The organisation must address this injustice fairly and appropriately,” the club said in its statement. “We owe it to our rowers, supporters, and the integrity of the sport.”
The Regatta Freedom Day event is one of Malta’s most prestigious traditional rowing competitions, with historic rivalries playing out between towns from the Grand Harbour area. The incident is expected to spark widespread debate within the local sporting community, with calls for clearer protocols and stronger enforcement of race rules in future editions.
