Of couch potatoes and the legacy of big sporting events

Malta will host two major sporting events this year – the Games for the Small States of Europe (GSSE) and the UEFA Under-19 Football Championship.

But what legacy, if any, will result from these two major sporting events?

This question was discussed during a recent symposium held at the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology (MCAST) attended by sport administrators, coaches, athletes, parents, sport and fitness professionals, health professionals, physical education (PE). Teachers, sports journalists, entrepreneurs and politicians.

The participants heard presentations on educational initiatives currently running at the UEFA Academy, general approaches to sport development in Luxembourg, the ongoing programs organized by SportMalta, research results and various statistics from the local scene, the 2022 Commonwealth Games and its legacy for Birmingham , as well as a new forthcoming legal framework to improve regulation of the sport, exercise and fitness sectors.

The panel discussions stimulated many discussions. Why are we still underperforming in international sport, even compared to other small nations? Why are we among the most inactive people in Europe? Many claim to have the answers, so why has the situation still not improved? Panellists from the major Maltese national governing bodies compared and contrasted their situations, but largely agreed that difficulties in prevailing against most foreign competitors were universal. Statistics about general physical activity levels are similarly uninspiring.

So what was different about the potential solutions offered at this last symposium?

A new legal framework for tighter regulation of professional standards appears promising, as does an apparent commitment to creating new knowledge through applied research.

The special issue of the MCAST Journal of Applied Research and Practice for Sport, Exercise and Health, first published late last year, was presented. As emphasized throughout the symposium, the issue is not the availability of highly qualified people on the islands, but how they are deployed.

For example, the magazine aims to inspire local sports scientists and academics to give much-needed attention to local issues. Rather than tailoring their work to what editors of international scholarly and academic journals deem relevant, a permanent local platform can help encourage our local experts to engage with unique, locally contextualized problems and report their findings that are relevant to Maltese stakeholders are most important .

It is hoped that graduates of MCAST’s new Master’s program in Exercise Science, trained in experiment design and statistical analysis of data, will take on this mantle and drive progress through applied research and subsequent evidence-based practice .

For example, we know from recent studies that there is a link between perceived corruption, according to the Index maintained by Transparency International, and international sporting performance, particularly in small nations. This result allows for the prioritization of initiatives specifically designed to increase transparency, openness and trust in the governance of local sports and exercise organizations. This is a clear example of the practical application of applied research.

The data also suggest that there is an association between socioeconomic status and the level of participation in organized sport. If nothing changes, we risk that quality sports will eventually become the only domain of children whose parents can afford the privilege.

Malta’s population and potential talent pool are already small enough without further reducing the numbers unnecessarily. Socioeconomic status was a recurring theme throughout the event. While some athletes have challenged the status quo and made exceptions to the rule at international level, parental involvement has been a strikingly central factor.

What happens to highly talented athletes whose parents can’t or won’t support them financially or in any other important way?

The importance of integrative practice in sport was well underscored by a panel discussion on the Special Olympics movement in Malta. Sport and physical activity provide sufficient benefits in and of themselves, but also make questionable claims of utility.

The philosophy of education typically distinguishes between education either as a route to work or as a means of development in the broader personal, social and cultural sense. On the one hand, education should be practical and equip learners to survive and thrive in the real world. It makes perfect sense if the existing system can really do everything. Learners trained to operate strictly within the confines of a system are unlikely to go out and change it.

Sport education in Malta remains unrestricted in this sense, according to the panellists on sport-related continuing education and higher education. Passion for sport has been considered a valid motivation for studying sport, exercise and physical activity, especially as this passion seems to be otherwise so scarce locally.

Similarly, the lack of priority or value given to sport in schools has been a common concern, although care should be taken not to confuse sport with physical activity. While exercise is one theme, among other things, increasing physical activity simply means being more active. Physical education classes aren’t the only opportunity children should be given to exercise, learn through activities and games, or get outside.

Nevertheless, there are pilot projects to take up the election promise of more sport in schools and these also appear promising. When school children go home, they are exposed to different influences in terms of healthy living. Government schools can be the “great balance” for most Maltese children, helping them meet the minimum recommended school physical activity guidelines, regardless of the existing home environment, and hopefully a lifelong commitment to a healthier and more active life for procreation in their own family homes initiate the future.

Jude Zammit, Director General for Curriculum, Lifelong Learning and Employability at the Department of Education, and Graham Bencini, Shadow Secretary of State for Sport concluded the symposium with a concluding debate. While sport and physical activity has been recognized as one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement, we call on our leaders to support genuine initiatives aimed at cultural change in the way sport and physical activity are valued in Maltese society, to maximize local expertise and act on the basis of the theory and science currently serving to renew attitudes and assumptions surrounding Maltese sport.

dr Matthew Muscat Inglott is an Associate Professor at MCAST’s Institute of Community Services.