Sports integrity entity discussed at Malta FA meeting

Representatives of several entities and organisations came together on Friday morning to discuss the setting up of a new public entity dealing with integrity issues in Maltese sport. Dr Clifton Grima, the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organisations, Ryan Callus, the Opposition Spokesman for Sports, and Bjorn Vassallo, the President of the Malta Football Association, took part in the consultation meeting, held at the Malta FA offices. The Police, Malta Gaming Authority and the National Anti-Doping Agency were also represented. Participants were given an update on the government’s plans to a set up a national platform to oversee integrity issues. The fight against match-fixing, the manipulation of sports competitions and doping will be at the heart of the new entity’s work. The process leading up to the creation of this entity will be overseen by the Sports Integrity Advisory Board which was set up recently. At Friday’s meeting, the Malta FA reiterated its full support for this project, having played a leading role in efforts to tackle integrity issues in Maltese sport in recent years. In 2015, the Malta FA had set up an Anti-Corruption Task Force with the aim of adopting a unified approach to integrity issues in sports by co-ordinating the efforts of the main stakeholders in this field.