The Maltese Sporting Community is in mourning after last night’s announcement that Judge Emeritus Dr. Lino Farrugia Sacco passed away at the age of 72.

Dr. Farrugia Sacco was an active member of the Maltese Olympic Committee, holding several positions, including the prestigious role of President between 1996 and 2013, during which time he shaped the MOC’s functionality and implemented several initiatives to benefit elite Maltese athletes.

He had strong ties with local sports federations, where in the past he held the role of President of the Malta Tennis Federation before making the decision to contest for the MOC’s Presidency. Dr. Farrugia Sacco was also elected as the Treasurer of the European Tennis Federation. Dr. Farrugia Sacco chaired the evaluation commission for the 2021 Mediterranean Games as well as the European Olympic Commission’s audit committee. He also sat on several disciplinary committees of the Anti-Doping Commissions. He also served as an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Commenting on this sad news, President of the Malta Sports Journalists Association, Sandro Micallef, said: “Today we are all in mourning. We have lost a dear friend, a professional, but most of all, a person who dedicated a lot of his time to sport in Malta, with his ultimate goal and desire being always to see the Maltese flag on the podium of an international event”.

The Executive Committee of the Malta Sports Journalists Association sent its deepest condolences to the Farrugia Sacco family.