The Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sport announced the list of semi-finalists for the 2016 Sport Malta Awards Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali. Local associations submitted their nominations to a selection board who analysed the performances and feats of all the athletes and officials proposed before announcing the list of semi-finalists in each category.
Gabriel Grixti has been announced as one of the semi-finalists for the category ‘Young Sportsman of the Year’ for the Sport Malta Awards Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali in the field of table tennis.
The semi-finalists:
Sportsman of the year: Johan Attard (Pool); Norbert Attard (Darts); Stevie Camilleri (waterpolo); William Chetcuti (shooting); Luke Debono (bodybuilding); Charles Degiorgio (horse racing); Stefan Farrugia (bowls); Luke Galea (karate); Duncan Micallef (drag racing); Mark Spiteri (bowling); Nathan Xuereb (shooting).
Sportswoman of the Year: Sue Abela (bowling), Marie Claire Aquilina (cycling); Tiziana Carannante (bowling), Mandy Cortis (boxing); Sana Grillo (gymnastics); Hannah Pace (triathlon), Helene Pellicano (Tennis); Victoria Schultheis (sailing); C. Wingfield (athletics); Y. Zammit Stevens (weightlifting).
Official of the Year: Esther Azzopardi (football); Joseph Borda (rugby); Francesca Borg (gymnastics); Terry Camilleri (snooker); Jesmond Caruana (weightlifting); Noel Gauci (darts); Joseph Grima (rowing); Chris Spiteri Chris (badminton); Paul Sultana (basketball); John Zammit (cycling).
Coach of the Year: Angela Adamoli (basketball); Jimmy Bugeja (shooting); Anthony Farrugia (waterpolo); Jean Paul Fleri Soler (sailing); Jesmond Giordimaina (weightlifting); Brad Hindle Deguara (squash); Daniel Holliday (rugby); Karl Izzo (waterpolo); Noel Mercieca (kickboxing); Silvio Vella (football).
Young Sportsman of the Year: Kurt Cassar (basketball); Luke Galea (karate); Gary Giordimaina (weightlifting); Gabriel Grixti (table tennis); Matthew Magro (bowling); Scott Muscat (pool); Ben Plumpton (waterpolo); Kijan Sultana (squash).
Young Sportswoman of the Year: Hannah Al Tumi (basketball); Nicole Attard Gliveau (athletics); Sana Grillo (gymnastics); Helene Pellicano (tennis); Victoria Schultheis (sailing); Sara Xuereb (bowling).
Team of the Year: Basketball women’s national team; Raffa bowls national team; Cycling women’s national team; Eight Ball Pool U-23 national team; U-21 national football team; Pool U-23 national team; Rugby Sevens Men’s national team; Alex Borg/Brian Cini (snooker); Sue Abela/Tiziana Carannante (bowling); Mediterranean horse racing championship team; Waterpolo national team; Waterpolo U-19 national team.
On the 6th Feb, the members of the Malta Sportswriters Association voted to decide the five finalists in each category. These are:
Sportsman of the Year: S. Camilleri (waterpolo), W. Chetcuti (shooting), C. Degiorgio (racing), D. Micallef (drag racing), N.L. Xuereb (shooting).
Sportswoman of the Year: S. Abela (bowling), T. Carannante (bowling), H. Pellicano (tennis), C. Wingfield (athletics), Y. Zammit Stevens (weightlifting).
Official Award: E. Azzopardi (football), J. Borda (rugby), T. Camilleri (snooker), J. Caruana (weightlifting), P. Sultana (basketball), J. Zammit (cycling).
Team of the Year: women’s national team (basketball), U-21 football national team, A. Borg/B. Cini (snooker), waterpolo national team, U-19 team (waterpolo).
Coach of the Year: A. Adamoli (basketball), J. Bugeja (shooting), A. Farrugia (waterpolo), D. Holliday (rugby), K. Izzo (waterpolo), S. Vella(football).
Young sportsman: K. Cassar (basketball), L. Galea (karate), G. Giordimaina (wrest-ling), M. Magro (bowling), B. Plumpton (waterpolo), K. Sultana (squash).
Young sportswoman: H. Al Tumi (basketball), N. Attard Gliveau (athletics), S. Grillo (gymnastics), H. Pellicano (tennis), V. Schulteis (sailing), S. Xuereb (bowling).
People’s Choice Award: T. Carannante (bowling), W. Chetcuti (shooting), K. Galea (triathlon), D. Thornton (rowing), J. Zammit (cycling).
The winners in each category will be decided through a vote from a panel of sports journalists during the gala ceremony which will be held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre on Saturday, February 25.