National Lottery plc and the Malta Sports Journalists Association (MSJA) are pleased to announce that Johan Attard won the third IZIBET Elite Athlete Award for 2024, covering the months of May and June.

Blackball player Johan Attard became the first Maltese cueist to win an IPA Tournament on Sunday 19th May. Together with Clint Grima he was one of two Maltese players to take part in the back-to-back IPA Tournaments in Coventry, England. Attard reached the final for both tournaments.

Against professional player Clint l’Anson, the Maltese player looked set for a famous win when he surged just one frame away from victory when leading 9-7. But the English player showed all his class to win the final three frames and secure a thrilling 10-9 win.

Attard didn’t give up and reached the final in the second tournament. Attard produced an impressive performance with a 7-2 win over David Addinal to lift the trophy.

Franco de Gabriele, Chief Commercial Officer of IZI Group commented on the extraordinary results obtained by Johan Attard. “We are happy to support the hard work that athletes such as Johan Attard put in to compete in such prestigious events. The results obtained by Johann evidence the commitment of such athletes to do well in their sport, especially when representing their country in international competitions. We wish Johan the very best for his future endeavours.”

Sandro Micallef, President of the Malta Sports Journalists Association said, “Absolutely, competing at an international level is a significant achievement, especially in the realm of professional sports. Johan Attard's determination and success are indeed commendable and reflect not only his personal dedication but also the hard work and support provided by the Malta Blackball Federation. His achievements serve as an inspiration to other Maltese athletes and underscore the potential for continued success on the international stage. We look forward to seeing more cue sport athletes from Malta excel and achieve their best results abroad.”

The IZIBET Elite Athlete Award recognises exceptional performances by local athletes and is awarded every two months.

A selection board composed of sports journalists and sports observers is responsible for evaluating the athlete's achievements during the designated review periods, ensuring a fair and thorough assessment process.

In the meantime, the official website of the Malta Sports Journalists Association https://www.maltasportsjournalists.com/ provides the rules and regulations governing the award.

National Lottery plc u l-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sports, bi pjaċir iħabbru li Johan Attard rebaħ it-tielet unur tal-IZIBET Elite Athlete Award li jkopri x-xhur ta’ Mejju u Ġunju 2024.

Il-plejer tal-blackball Johan Attard sar l-ewwel Malti li rebaħ tournament internazzjonali tal-IPA. Flimkien ma’ Clint Grima, huwa ħa sehem f’żewġ tournaments tal-IPA li saru f’Coventry fl-Ingilterra, f’Mejju li għadda u fit-tnejn li huma wasal sal-finali.

Fl-ewwel finali, Attard kien minn fuq 9-7 kontra Clint l’Anson, iżda dan tal-aħħar rebaħ iż-żewġ frejms deċiżivi, bir-riżultat finali ta’ 10-9. Fit-tieni finali, li kienet il-Ħadd 19 ta’ Mejju, Attard kellu prestazzjoni eċċezzjonali meta għeleb lil David Addinali bl-iskor ta’ 7-2 u għolla t-trofew.

Franco de Gabriele, Chief Commercial Officer ta' IZI Group ikkumenta fuq ir-riżultati straordinarji miksuba minn Johan Attard. “Aħna ferm kuntenti u nagħtu l-appoġġ tagħna lejn il-ħidma kbira tal-atleti li bħal Johan Attard jagħtu kollox f’dawn l-avvenimenti prestiġjużi. Ir-riżultati miksuba minn Johan juru biċ-ċar l-impenn li dawn l-atleti jagħtu fl-isport rispettiv tagħhom, speċjalment meta jkunu qed jirrapreżentaw lil Malta f’kompetizzjonjiet internazzjonali. Nawguraw lil Johann kull suċċess għall-futur.”

Min-naħa tiegħu, Sandro Micallef, President tal-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sports sostna, “Bla dubju li tikkompeti fuq livell internazzjonali huwa diġa minnu nnifsu suċċess importanti, speċjalment fuq livell professjonali. Id-determinazzjoni u s-suċċess ta’ Johan Attard ħaqqhom kull tifħir għax jirriflettu mhux biss id-dedikazzjoni tiegħu personali imma juru l-appoġġ kontinwu li tagħti l-Malta Blackball Federation. Is-suċċess miksub minn Attard għandu jservi ta’ ispirazzjoni għall-atleti l-oħra Maltin u jkompli juri l-potenzjal li jista’ jinkiseb fuq livell internazzjonali. Inħarsu ‘l quddiem biex naraw aktar atleti Maltin tal-cue sport jiksbu aktar suċċessi barra minn xtutna.”

Ir-regolamenti tal-IZIBET Elite Athlete Award jistgħu jinkisbu minn fuq il-website tal-Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sports https://www.maltasportsjournalists.com/

National Lottery plc is a fully owned subsidiary of IZI Group plc, the largest land-based gaming operator in Malta. National Lottery plc is the exclusive concessionaire of the National Lottery of Malta. IZI Group plc also operates the Dragonara Casino, Malta’s No 1 land-based casino established in 1964. IZI Group plc offers a full range of online casino and sports betting products via Dragonara.com and IZIBET.com and soon will offer lottery products online via lottery.mt. IZI Group plc is an equal opportunities company and one of the largest privately-owned groups providing full time employment to over 500 employees.

Video presentation including an interview with Johan Attard:
https://we.tl/t-0C3XxjDOAz