Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540950
5 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 31 OCTOBER 2025 NEWS 2026 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship travels to Gozo THE XTERRA Trail Run World Championship heads to Gozo Island in Malta on May 9, 2026, a destination known for its striking coastal landscapes. World titles in the Trail Half Marathon and Trail Mara- thon will be awarded to top performers from the XTERRA Trail Run World Series, with open events inviting families, local communities, and visitors from all corners of the planet to take part. "I love most that you get to run around the perimeter of the island and it feels like such a destination event." Jemi- ma Farley (GBR), the reign- ing XTERRA Trail Run World Champion in her age group, unbeaten on Gozo in the last two editions. "So many runners in Malta look forward to it all year, it's extremely popular and has a very loyal following. The views are incredible and the rugged cliffs take my breath away every time I see them." This will be the 17th XTER- RA Trail Run World Champi- onship and the fifth location to host the event since its incep- tion in 2008. Defined by Discovery Circumnavigating the coast- line of Gozo offers a rare chance to run and explore an entire island. Though only about 14 kilometers across, the terrain delivers a true challenge with coastal paths, sheer cliffs, quiet valleys, and historic vil- lages revealing Gozo's charac- ter step by step. Gozo is the second largest island in the Maltese archipel- ago, connected to Malta by a short ferry ride across the Gozo Channel. It is home to the Ġgantija temples, built around 3600 BC and older than Stone- henge or the Egyptian pyra- mids, part of a cultural legacy shaped by millennia of Medi- terranean influence. XTERRA Gozo has been held five times since 2021, support- ed by local Gozitans who take genuine care in welcoming runners and their families. "We are proud to host the global trail running community in Gozo next year. Gozo is a race organised by athletes for ath- letes, and we deeply value the participants' experience." Na- than Farrugia, Race Director, XTERRA Gozo Trail Run. Connecting the World "For more than a decade after its debut in 2008, the XTERRA Trail Run World Champion- ship found its home at Kualoa Ranch in Hawaii," said Kos- tas Koumargialis, Managing Director, EMEA and Global Event Strategy. "It then moved to Maui in 2021 before head- ing to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine in 2023 and 2024, fol- lowed by Eryri National Park in Wales in 2025. Each location has helped expand the global reach and competitive legacy of this event." "The XTERRA Trail Run World Series, launched in 2022, connecting events across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific into one pathway to the championship," Kou- margialis continued. "It has created an authentic global journey where runners come together from different back- grounds and racing cultures to share the same challenge." "Gozo offers everything a world championship destina- tion should," noted Landry Benoit, APAC Technical Di- rector. "A coast hugging trail shaped by elevation changes, cliff drops, hidden bays, and hilltop churches to fortified citadels add historic character to every kilometer. XTERRA first arrived in Malta in 2015, and since the XTERRA Gozo Trail Run began in 2021, the nation has shown a true con- nection to outdoor sport and to the athletes who travel here. Gozo is a place ready to wel- come the world." For detailed qualification information, please visit the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship qualification page. Open category registra- tion begins this week through the event page with qualified athletes contacted directly to complete their entry. Circumnavigating the coastline of Gozo offers a rare chance to run and explore an entire island. Though only about 14 kilometers across, the terrain delivers a true challenge with coastal paths, sheer cliffs, quiet valleys, and historic villages revealing Gozo's character step by step and District Units. Opposition reaction Opposition and PN leader Alex Borg said the government's 2026 Budget "forgot people's reali- ties" and failed to provide a clear vision for Malta's future. Borg described the financial plan as reactive and disconnected from the challenges many Maltese and Gozitan families face. "Money isn't everything," Borg said. "This budget forgot the peo- ple behind the numbers." He said the Budget failed to respond to Malta's structural problems, in- cluding pressures on healthcare, the rising cost of living, traffic congestion, and what he de- scribed as unplanned population growth. He also criticised the absence of substantial measures to improve quality of life or address mental health needs. "To those who are suffering, it offered no solutions," he said, arguing that Malta needs "a politics that feels for people, not one that works for numbers." Borg said the government's stated goal of encouraging a higher birth rate was inconsist- ent with its policies, which he argued fail to give parents the support and flexibility they need. "Today, we live to work, not work to live," Borg said. "This is a seri- ous social problem that, for this government, seems not to exist." He also pointed to increasing mental health challenges, young people leaving the country, ris- ing property prices that outpace wages, and long hospital waiting lists as evidence of growing strain on public infrastructure. GWU welcomes 'socially and economically sustainable' Budget The General Workers' Un- ion (GWU) welcomed the 2026 Budget, describing it as "econom- ically and socially sustainable." In its initial reaction, the union said the Budget built on Malta's low unemployment rate to improve quality of life and create wealth for families, pensioners, young people, and business owners. GWU secretary general Josef Bugeja said the Budget demon- strated "a strong commitment to families and future generations," highlighting the government's ef- forts to strengthen social benefits while maintaining fiscal respon- sibility. He also noted the pro- jected drop in the deficit-to-GDP ratio and the absence of new tax- es as positive indicators. The un- ion said its National Council will deliver a full analysis in the com- ing days but praised the govern- ment's "forward-looking vision" and its balance between social support and economic growth. UHM welcomes tax cuts for parents but says families need 'time, not just money' The UĦM Voice of the Work- ers welcomed the Budget's in- come tax reductions for parents but said financial relief alone was insufficient. In a video statement, CEO Josef Vella said that while the measure was "welcomed with open arms," parents also needed more time to care for their chil- dren. Vella noted that several UĦM proposals, including a year-long parental leave, a 35-hour work week study, and standardising all sectors to a 40-hour week, were ignored. He argued that the Budget did not do enough to im- prove work-life balance. The union also expressed disap- pointment that contract workers providing long-term services to the government were again over- looked, receiving no recognition for seniority compared to their counterparts in the public sector. Alex Borg speaking in parliament. This is Borg's first budget, after being elected leader of the Opposition in August (File photo)