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Sports in Malta include association football, basketball, athletics, rugby, tennis, cycling, and others.

Association football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Malta. The national stadium is calledTa' Qali Stadium. Thenational football team has won several matches over big opponents that reached the final phases inWorld Cups, such asBelgium andHungary. Recently a large number of football grounds have been built throughout the island. The top football league in Malta is called theMaltese Premier League, and consists of 14 teams.Futsal is also very popular.^{[citation needed]}

Malta is a good place for surfing and offers a lot of different surf spots.^[1] During winter time most of the beaches transform into surfer hangouts.

Water polo is also very popular in Malta. TheMalta men's national water polo team has achieved some great results against strong teams, and has competed in the Olympics twice. Maltese clubs participate in the European Club competitions organised by LEN, are seen as being in the top 10 water polo leagues in Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Boċċi is the Maltese version of the Italian game ofbocce, Frenchpétanque and Britishbowls. Other than certain differences in rules and the ground on which the game is played, one of the most obvious differences between Maltese boċċi and foreign equivalents is the shape of the bowls themselves which tend to be cylindrical rather than spherical in shape. Many small clubs (usually called Klabbs tal-Boċċi inMaltese) can be found in Maltese and Gozitan localities, and are usually well-frequented and are quite active on a local and European level. Even the emigrants to Canada, Australia, and The United States have taken the game with them and now forms an important part of their social scene.^[2]

Maltese National Hockey League is the official field hockey league in Malta, with just 4 teams participating in the National League.

The National Hockey Stadium is located in Paola, Kordin. It is the only location with regulation facilities available in the country.

The Malta National Hockey Team occasionally participates in international fixtures.

Rugby Union has been played in Malta since the beginning of the 20th century, with evidence of rugby pitches at RAF Ta' Qali Air Field in the 1920s and other fields in RAF Luqa Air Field. The Malta Rugby Football Union was formed in 1991. 5 clubs are established in Malta - Falcons, Kavallieri, Overseas, Stompers and Wolves. In October 2021 thenational men's team was ranked 41st in the world. They have recently been achieving success, defeating teams includingSweden,Croatia andLatvia. In 2018, Malta achieved its largest win against Andorra, that of 89-3.^[3] As of 2016 Malta Rugby Union had 2,480 registered players.^[4]

Rugby league is also played in Malta, primarily due to return migration ofMaltese Australians bringing it back with them. In July 2022, thenational men's team was ranked 10th in the world. The national team are known as theMalta Knights, and boast players currently playing in theSuper League inEngland such asJarrod Sammut,Jake Mamo, the most famous player to come from Malta would be formerSouth Sydney Rabbitohs,Mario Fenech. In 2016 Malta Rugby League had 285 players, with the large majority based in Australia.^[5]

Motorsport includes drag racing represented by the Malta Drag Racing Association, with recent high ranking Maltese dragsters in official FIA European championships. There is also autocross (ASMK), hill climb (Island Car Club), motocross, karting and banger racing championships.^[6]

In 2020, Malta got its first-ever female head coach leading a men’s Division One basketball team. It was Silvia Gambino who started the position atMellieħa S.C. Libertas.^[7]

Malta has a first division for women's volleyball teams. The president of the national federation MVA has been Jesmond Saliba.^[8]

Malta also hosts asnooker round, theMalta Cup, which as of 2008^[update] became a non-ranking event.^{[citation needed]} In 2008 Malta'sTony Drago was a member of a victorious EuropeanMosconi Cup team, which was played in Portomaso, Malta.^{[citation needed]}Claudio Cassar wasWorld Blackball Champion in 2014.

The most notable Maltese shooter isWilliam Chetcuti, who won medals at the Commonwealth Games and Mediterranean Games, and ranked in the top 8 at the Olympic Games and ISSF World Championships.

BoxerJeff Fenech is of Maltese descent.^[9] Recently contact sports such asBoxing andKickboxing have become increasingly popular.^{[citation needed]}

Malta are an affiliate member of theICC & has fullTwenty20 International status. Home games are played atMarsa. In 2020 there was aT20 summer domestic league consisting of 12 teams, and in 2019 a 50-over winter league which comprised 5 teams.

Along with other sports, tennis is a popular activity in Malta and Gozo. The islands offer a wide range of options for both beginners and elite players. Clubs are spread out across Malta and games are being played on a regular basis all year around.

There ,are over 1,200rock climbing routes in Malta. The island offers a mixture of bothtrad climbing andsport climbing and also offers a good variety ofbouldering anddeep water soloing. The geography and small size of the island makes the climbing easily accessible. The sport is growing in popularity with local communities, as well as tourists and visitors.^{[citation needed]}

Malta debuted at theOlympic Games inAmsterdam 1928. No Maltese competitor has won an Olympic medal.

The country has claimed seven medals at theParalympics, seven medals at theCommonwealth Games and nine at theMediterranean Games

• Malta Olympic Committee
• Maltese National Regatta
• Maltese National Badminton Championships
• Malta Sailing Federation
• Handball Malta andMalta Handball Association
• Aquatic Sports Association of Malta

• Sport in Malta

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