by Bernard Vassallo
It is good news this evening for the Malta Basketball Association as the Secretary General, Joseph Muscat, has just been named as the Sport Official of the Year for 2020 during the 61st edition of the SportMalta Awards Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali held a short while ago.
The final eight man sport journalist panel, representing the Malta Sport Writers Association, put forth their votes which were based on the sport outcomes of 2020 and here, amongst other things, Muscat’s extensive contribution to the completion of the structural project and total renovation of the basketball pavilion in Ta Qali surely played a big part.
At the end of the voting process in this category, Muscat emerged the winner of the Sport Official category ahead of the other two finalists this year, namely Andy Grech (Athletics) and Vincent Degiorgio (Pool).
With this achievement, Muscat has become the sixth basketball related person to win this Sport Official of the Year Award after Louis Borg (1974), Louis Micallef (1979), John Tabone (1991), Bernard Vassallo (2006) and Paul Sultana (2017)
Below are all the ‘basketball’ winners in the history of the Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali
Sportswoman of the Year
1980 Anna Felice
1981 Anna Calleja
2009 Rebecca Brincat
Sport Official of the Year
1974 Louis Borg
1979 Louis Micallef
1987 Louis Borg
1991 John Tabone
2006 Bernard Vassallo
2017 Paul Sultana
2020 Joseph Muscat
Team of the Year
2003 Women National Team
2009 Women National Team
2018 Basketball – Tim Nazzjonali Irġiel
Coach of the Year
2017 Angela Adamoli
Sport Event of the Year
2008 M.B.A. FIBA Conference
2015 M.B.A. FIBA European Conference