The state of play in Maltese sport : exploring Malta's current elite sport climate within a small states setting

Abstract

An increasing number of nations around the world are developing high performance sport systems in order to compete in global competitions. Unfortunately, the research on smaller states is somewhat lacking, furthermore high performance sport in Malta is also an under-researched theme in local sport literature. The research sought to understand the current ‘state of play’ of elite sport in Malta. Using the Sport Policy Leading to International Sporting Success’ (SPLISS) model as a starting point, the research uses a standardised survey to explore the perceptions of key stakeholders in high performance sport in Malta in terms of current experiences and future expectations. Measuring perceptions against the SPLISS pillars found dissatisfaction amongst stakeholders: in spite of some useful financial investment in the system, there are structural issues that need to be overcome, some of which are influenced by the macro-level environment of the challenges that Malta faces as a small island state, including lack of infrastructure and loss of human capital. This work provides insight in to the current situation of elite sport in Malta, from which further work could be undertaken, and also raises questions about the value of the SPLISS model when investigating small states.