Sport in Gibraltar

Sport plays a prominent role in Gibraltarian life. The range of sports practiced in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar is wide and varied in comparison to its size of less than 7km². The Government of Gibraltar is committed to promote sport within The Rock and supports many local sports associations financially. Gibraltar also competes in international sporting events such as the biennial Island Games, which it hosted in 1995.

Government's role

The Ministry for Sport, headed by the Hon. Edwin J. Reyes, Minister for Culture, Heritage, Sport & Leisure, is responsible for sports policy matters and the provision of support to educational establishments and the governing bodies of sport in Gibraltar. [http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/gov_depts/sport/about_sport.htm About sport in Gibraltar.] ]

The Gibraltar Sports Advisory Council is set up to advise the Government of Gibraltar, through the Minister for Sport, on all matters relating to sport including:

* Capital Expenditure Priorities
* Allocation of grants to Sporting Societies
* Sports Development
* International Competitions
* Availability and use of Sports Facilities

port facilities

The Government recognises the benefits derived from the Gibraltarians' participation in sports and other recreational activities. Therefore, particular importance is given to the availability of facilities for the practice of these sports as well as making these available to anyone for booking allocations free of charge.

There is a large number of sport facilities in Gibraltar, of varying standards. These provide opportunities for locals and visitors alike to enjoy sport recreationally as well as professionally for the serious sport enthusiasts, where they can improve standards and have the opportunity to participate in local and international events.

The main sport facilities in Gibraltar are the multi-purpose Victoria Stadium and the Tercentenary Sports Centre. These include facilities such as artificial turf football pitches, water-based hockey fields, tennis and padel tennis courts, athletics fields, archery practice range, cricket fields, squash courts, golf practice range, climbing wall and multi-purpose sports halls for basketball, badminton, volleyball, netball, handball, five-a-side football, and martial arts among many others.

ports

In 2007, there were eighteen sports associations in Gibraltar officially recognised by their respective international governing bodies. Others, such as the Gibraltar National Olympic Committee, have applied for international recognition which are currently being considered.

Football

The Gibraltar Football Association applied for full membership of UEFA, but their bid was turned down in 2007 in a contentious decision.cite news | url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article29250.ece | title=UEFA snub the Rock | publisher=The Sun| date=26 January 2007 ]

Cricket

Cricket enjoys massive popularity in Gibraltar as the weather is perfectly suited to cricket games. The Gibraltar national cricket team recently won the European Cricket Championship.

References

ee also

* Culture of Gibraltar
* Sport in the United Kingdom
* Sport in Spain

External links

* [http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/gov_depts/sport/sport_index.htm Government of Gibraltar website on sport.]
* [http://sportgibraltar.blogspot.com/ SportGibraltar.com]