Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1009910
OPINION maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 AUGUST 2018 8 THE Malta University Sports Club, popularly known on campus as MUSC, is the oldest organisation at the Univer- sity of Malta having been launched way back in 1925. The organisation serves as the National University Sports Federa- tion for Malta. University sport in Malta has so much untapped potential and it is not given the importance and value it deserves. Such a scenario is stem- ming from various sources. Firstly, and perhaps the most obvious fac- tor is the dire state of sporting facili- ties currently overshadowing the lack of participation at the University of Malta. Facilities are either below the required standard, have limited ac- cessibility for students or simply do not exist. Ultimately, the regeneration process of the sports complex shall be starting in the near future and MUSC act as watch dogs over the project to ensure that sufficient progress is be- ing made. Secondly, there is also the stigma that the Maltese youngsters are lazy and participation rates have been dropping in recent years, a situation which is not limited to just sports but throughout all student societies at the university. This is a serious problem when taking into consideration that student sports is most vulnerable dur- ing this period of a student's life, usu- ally between the ages of 18 and 25, as study courses take their toll and will be given more importance than sport. Throwback to the summer months of 2016 when an important shift was taking place in MUSC's hierarchy. Since the majority of the former ex- ecutive were graduating or stepping down, an inspired group of university students came together and embarked on a challenge to continue the work that MUSC had built over the years. The then newly-elected administra- tion decided to focus on setting up a solid foundation of university sports locally. The organisation managed to establish several university teams in just two full years including a foot- ball, basketball, volleyball, tennis and running club. The overall goal was to reduce the student apathy culture, es- pecially when it comes to sports and to give athletes a platform to maintain a balance between studies and competi- tive sport. The organisation's emphasis of de- veloping the university sport from a local standpoint did not affect its pres- ence within the international context. In fact, the organisation also offered five athletes the opportunity to par- ticipate in the 29th Summer Univer- siades in Chinese Taipei, Taiwan in August 2017. What is more, MUSC is currently invested in discussions in an attempt to take a larger contingent to the next Universiade games in Naples, Italy in July 2019, perhaps making a little history in the process, by tak- ing up the University of Malta's first established university team instead of solely focusing on individual sports. The organisation is proud to admit that Naples, 2019 will be the fourth consecutive year that the University of Malta will be represented by such student athletes. MUSC has, over the years, built a steady reputation internationally by participating in a number of events, be it sports forums and conferences or world and European student games. So much so that, the current President Antoine Attard has been selected as one of the first Student Ambassadors on behalf of the International Univer- sity Sports Federation (FISU) during the second edition of the FISU Vol- unteer Leaders Academy in June 2018 held in Kazan, a city affectionately known locally as the sports capital of Russia. The ten-day academy hosted 118 young leaders and sports activ- ists from just under 100 countries. The participants pledged to promote sports value and encourage sports practice in harmony with the universi- ty spirit. The newly-appointed ambas- sadors will serve as an important link between FISU and the general student community, helping both FISU and their national university sports fed- eration be more visible. In view of his efforts and achievements during the academy, Antoine has now been in- vited to the FISU Forum taking place in Krasnoyarsk, Russia in August 2018 to introduce the Ambassador Pro- gramme alongside the representative from Sri Lanka, Mahela Bandara. Our mission is to keep on expand- ing university sport locally by attract- ing freshers and other young students to have a sustainable project in place. Continuity is key and hopefully it will act as a stepping stone for internation- al opportunities be it for competition and networking. The National Youth Council (KNZ) and its member organisations have been invited to submit opinion articles on topics affecting youths today. The contents of the article do not necessarily refl ect the opinion of the Council Facilities are either below the required standard, have limited accessibility for students or simply do not exist NEWS University sport in Malta lacking respect and attention