National Lottery plc and the Malta Sports Journalists Association (MSJA) are pleased to announce that Malta Men’s Rugby Sevens National Team won the third IZIBET Elite Athlete Award for 2025, covering the months of May and June.

The Malta Men’s Rugby Sevens National Team achieved a historic promotion to the Rugby Europe Sevens Trophy Division which is the second highest tier out of five in European Rugby. The team progressed from the lower-tier Conference 2 division in only three years.

Malta entered the Rugby Europe Conference 1 tournament with a 24–17 loss to Serbia. However, that was not the end of it! They bounced back strongly, defeating Finland 27-10 and Austria 27-21, securing the second place in the group and a spot in the semifinal against Andorra. In a thrilling semifinal, Malta had a 10-7 victory and secured the promotion to the Trophy Division. Unfortunately, due to a series of injuries Malta lost the final against Monaco 24-5.

Franco de Gabriele, Chief Commercial Officer of IZI Group commented “We are proud to present the IZIBET Elite Athlete Award to the Malta Men’s Rugby Sevens National Team for their outstanding achievement. Their historic promotion to the Rugby Europe Sevens Trophy Division is a testament to their dedication, discipline, and the growing strength of rugby in Malta. At IZI Group, we remain committed to supporting local sports and celebrating Maltese athletes who demonstrate excellence and resilience on the international stage.”

Lorraine Cunningham, Malta Sports Journalists Association’s General Secretary said, “The success of the Malta Men’s Rugby Sevens National Team is truly noteworthy. In recent years, we have witnessed remarkable progress in this discipline, and the team's recent promotion comes as no surprise. This honour is well deserved, not only for their performance in this competition, but also in recognition of their journey from the Conference 2 Division just a few years ago.”

The IZIBET Elite Athlete Award recognises exceptional performances by local athletes and is awarded every two months.

A selection board composed of sports journalists and sports observers is responsible for evaluating the athlete's achievements during the designated review periods, ensuring a fair and thorough assessment process.

In the meantime, the official website of the Malta Sports Journalists Association https://www.maltasportsjournalists.com/ provides the rules and regulations governing the award.

National Lottery plc u l-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sport, bi pjaċir iħabbru li t-Tim Nazzjonali Malti tar-Rugby Sevens rebaħ it-tielet unur tal-IZIBET Elite Athlete Award għal din is-sena li jkopri x-xhur ta’ Mejju u Ġunju.

It-Tim Nazzjonali Malti tar-Rugby Sevens kiseb promozzjoni storika għar-Rugby Europe Sevens Trophy Division li hija t-tieni l-ogħla mill-ħames rankings li hemm fir-Rugby Ewropew. Dan it-tim għamel progress kbir meta tliet snin ilu kien fid-Diviżjoni Conference 2.

Fl-ewwel logħba tar-Rugby Europe Conference 1, Malta bdiet bl-iebes meta tilfet 24-17 kontra s-Serbja. Madanakollu, il-Maltin irkupraw din it-telfa u għelbu lill-Finlandja 27-10 u l-Awstrija 27-21 sabiex ġew fit-tieni post fil-grupp u għaddew għas-semifinali kontra l-Andorra. Fis-semifinali, li kienet waħda ferm missielta, il-Maltin rebħu 10-7 u aċċertaw il-promozzjoni għat-Trophy Division. B’serje ta’ plejers imweġġa’, il-Maltin ħarġu telliefa fil-finali kontra Monaco bir-riżultat aħrax ta’ 24-5.

Franco de Gabriele, Chief Commercial Officer ta’ National Lottery plc, qal: “Kburin li nippreżentaw l-unur tal-IZIBET Elite Athlete Award lit-Tim Nazzjonali Malti tar-Rugby Sevens għall-kisba eċċezzjonali tagħhom. Il-promozzjoni storika tagħhom għar-Rugby Europe Sevens Trophy Division hija xhieda tad-dedikazzjoni, id-dixxiplina, u s-saħħa dejjem tikber tar-rugby f’Malta. Fl-IZI Group, nibqgħu impenjati li nappoġġjaw l-isports lokali u niċċelebraw l-atleti Maltin li juru eċċellenza u reżiljenza fix-xena internazzjonali.”

Min-naħa tagħha, Lorraine Cunningham, Segretarju Ġenerali tal-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sport sostniet, “Is-suċċess li qed jinkiseb mit-Tim Nazzjonali Malti tar-Rugby Sevens huwa suċċess li ta' min wieħed jieħu nota tajba tiegħu. Fl-aħħar snin rajna progress enormi f'din id-dixxiplina u m'iniex sorpriża bil-promozzjoni miksuba. Dan l-unur huwa wieħed meritat mhux biss għal dak li għamlu matul din il-kompetizzjoni iżda wieħed irid jiftakar ukoll minn fejn beda dan it-tim meta sa ftit snin ilu kien fid-Diviżjoni Conference 2.”

Il-għan tal-IZIBET Elite Athlete Award huwa li jirrikonoxxi s-suċċessi miksuba mill-atleti lokali kull xahrejn.

Il-bord tal-għażla huwa magħmul minn ġurnalisti u osservaturi sportivi li se jkunu qed jevalwaw bir-reqqa il-kisbiet tal-atleti matul ix-xhur u jassiguraw li jkun hemm il-korretezza matul il-proċess kollu tal-għażla.

Ir-regolamenti tal-IZIBET Elite Athlete Award jistgħu jinkisbu minn fuq il-website tal-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sport https://www.maltasportsjournalists.com/

National Lottery plc is a fully owned subsidiary of IZI Group plc, the largest land-based gaming operator in Malta. National Lottery plc is the exclusive concessionaire of the National Lottery of Malta. IZI Group plc also operates the Dragonara Casino, Malta’s No 1 land-based casino established in 1964. IZI Group plc offers a full range of online casino and sports betting products via Dragonara.com and IZIBET.com and soon will offer lottery products online via lottery.mt. IZI Group plc is an equal opportunities company and one of the largest privately-owned groups providing full time employment to over 500 employees.