This quarterly award, presented by the Malta Sports Journalists Association (MSJA) and the Malta Fair Play Movement, in collaboration with Together Gaming Solutions, is awarded to sporting individuals or teams who have distinguished themselves through an altruistic gesture of fair play during official and/or unofficial competitions.
Published 17 Feb 2026 Gabriel Farrugia (Athletics) and Xavier Rizzo (Snooker) are the winners of January’s Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award. Gabriel Farrugia, one of Malta’s most promising long-distance runners representing Żurrieq AC, secured the 10km National Championship title in January after delivering an outstanding performance at Ta’ Qali. Farrugia clocked an impressive time of 30 minutes and 19 seconds, establishing a new Under 23 national record. The young athlete has been dominating the national road running scene throughout the 2025-2026 season, consistently producing top-level performances and confirming his status as one of Malta’s leading endurance runners. Meanwhile, Maltese snooker player Xavier Rizzo progressed to the last 16 of the World Junior Snooker Championships that were held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Rizzo enjoyed an excellent start to the tournament, topping his group to secure qualification to the knockout stages before continuing his positive run on the international stage.His performances [...]
Photos: Terry Caselli
