With such an agreeable climate, there are a wide variety of land and sea sport facilities available on the Island. Malta’s largest sports centre (The Marsa Sports Club) is about 4 km south of Valletta and lists among its numerous features an 18-hole golf course, miniature golf, 18 tennis courts, 5 squash courts, cricket grounds and a swimming pool. Tourists can join the club on a weekly basis while on vacation in Malta. For golf, non-members are welcome and clubs can be rented at the facility.
Horseback riding is a well-liked activity by the locals and horse racing is Malta’s prime spectator sport, with races held every Sunday, between October and May.
Maltese lawn bowling and tenpin bowling are very popular at the local level and one can play lawn bowling in most villages. Clay pigeon/skeet shooting is common, with competitive/practice shootings taking place on Sunday mornings.
The Malta Marathon is held at the end of February and attracts several long distance runners from around the world and the Malta Amateur Athletics Association also organizes a great number of events such as road races, cross country races and track and field events.
Of course, water sports play a big role in the activity range on the Islands and equipment is available to rent at almost every major sandy beach or beach club.
Paragliding, windsurfing, wakeboarding, water skiing and scuba diving are all enjoyed by locals and tourists. Sailing regattas are held regularly between April and November, including the Comino Regatta in June, the Malta-Syracuse race for keelboats in July and the Rimini-Malta-Rimini Yacht race in August. Good facilities for boat rentals and yacht charters exist throughout the Island.
In addition, Malta boasts a wide selection of other sporting events sponsored by national associations, including judo, basketball, cycling, table tennis, hockey, water polo, wrestling, fencing and more.
