17th years of summer sports and activities with 1,000 participants expected

The Gibraltar Sports and Leisure Authority launched this year’s Summer Sports and Leisure Programme with a particular focus on table tennis ahead of the 2019 Island Games.

The programme aims to be bigger than ever with over a thousand children estimated to participate in over 30 different activities.

The programme was launched by GSLA Chief Executive Officer Reagan Lima, NatWest Regional Head for Gibraltar David Bruce, GSLA Head of Facilities Matthew Reoch and Sports Development and Training Officer Michelle Turner.

The Summer Sports programme is now in its 17th year and over 20 sporting associations are involved.

With Gibraltar hosting the 2019 Island Games this upcoming major sporting event is firmly in the minds of the summer programme organisers.

“Dare I say it you might get some of the kids coming through the summer sports programme who possibly will represent us as a development,” Mr Lima said.

“We have had children participating particularly in swimming and athletics at the age of 13 or 14 as development athletes.”

“The Island Games tends to be more for senior sportsmen but you never know there are people that come through some times that can sneak into squads.”

The GSLA will this year focus some of their efforts into improving the current state of local table tennis ahead of the Island Games.

“We are working just on a particular sport this year,” Mrs Turner said.

“We are working quite closely with the Gibraltar Table Tennis Association, which for whatever reason has declined in its membership numbers and we have been working very closely with them for the past six or seven months and we are using the summer to try and pull in a working partnership with them and even more children into table tennis coaching. We are hoping to have a member of the international federation visit Gibraltar to talk to people in the association.”