This quarterly award, handed out by the Malta Sports Journalists Association (MSJA) and the Malta Fair Play Movement in collaboration with Together Gaming Solutions, is aimed at sporting individuals or teams who would have distinguished themselves with an altruistic gesture of fair play during official and/or non-official competitions.
Matthew Portelli (Chess) and Malta’s Men U18 Pool Team are the winners of September’s Atlas Youth Athletes of the Month Award. Matthew Portelli, 13 years old, won the Candidates Tournament after claiming the National Junior Championship title in March. He achieved excellent results, scoring 5.5 points out of seven matches, winning four and drawing three and remained unbeaten throughout. Impressively, he also managed to defeat four former Maltese champions. With these results, he qualified for the Final Stage of the National Chess Championship, where he placed third. Matthew Portelli Chess Meanwhile, Malta’s Men U18 Pool Team made up of Jake Castaldi, Chaylon Castaldi, Denzel Falzon and Nick Muscat became World Champions for the third consecutive time. They went through the final after beating Northern Ireland 8-7 and were crowned World Champions after beating South Africa 8-4. Malta U/18 Pool Team The Atlas Youth Athlete of [...]
Press Release 24th October 2025 The Malta Sports Journalists Association joins the local sporting community in congratulating Mr Kevin Azzopardi upon his official appointment as the new Chief Executive Officer of AiMS - The Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport. The Executive Committee of the Malta SJA looks forward to continuing a strong and collaborative working relationship with the newly appointed CEO and the AiMS Board of Directors, and reaffirms its commitment to promoting the values of fair play, clean sport, and integrity across all levels of Maltese sport. As a key stakeholder in the national sporting landscape, the Malta Sports Journalists Association remains dedicated to strengthening its cooperation not only with AiMS, but also with SportMalta and the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation, in its ongoing efforts to support the development and safeguarding of Maltese sport.
Jake Castaldi (Snooker) and Malta’s Men U18 Water Polo Team are the winners of August’s Atlas Youth Athletes of the Month Award. Jake Castaldi, 15 years old, is the Snooker U16 National Champion. In a highly contested final, Castaldi won 4-3 against Nick Muscat and produced an impressive break of 55 points. He previously won the Atlas Youth Athlete Award as part of a team with his brother Chaylon in October 2022, with Steven Muscat in November 2023 and with Dielyn Edwards in November 2024. Meanwhile, Malta’s Men U18 Water Polo Team achieved the best result ever at a European Championship across all age groups. The team secured 9th place after defeating Germany in a penalty shootout at the European Championship held in Oradea, Romania. Malta had already won against Germany earlier in the group stage of the same tournament. The Atlas Youth Athlete of the Month Award was [...]
