Glenn Micallef

This isn’t baseball. The @FIFAcom World Cup remains the greatest sporting tournament on the planet, despite FIFA exploiting every commercial opportunity. But enough is enough. The relentless commercialisation of football has become corrosive. It’s threatening the things that made football the world’s most popular sport. 1/4

50 years ago, at just 14, Nadia Comăneci made #Olympic history in Montréal with the first perfect 10 in gymnastics. A moment so extraordinary that the scoreboard couldn’t even display it. In Montréal, I’ve visited the Canadian Olympic Committee alongside Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport, @vankayak. A reminder of the power of sport to inspire generations.

Organising world championships in Moscow brings the international sport community back to Russia while its war against Ukraine persists. The International Weightlifting Federation made that choice, whilst serious questions remain about the role the Russian federation led by EU-sanctioned Aleksandr Vinokurov in securing it. The IOC must explain how its rules prevent international sport from being used to normalise this war and who takes responsibility for the safety of athletes expected to compete there. Sport is not a back door around EU sanctions. If the activities surrounding these sport bodies are used to circumvent sanctions, those responsible will be held accountable.

Good to meet PM @RobertAbela_MT with my colleague @Piotr_Serafin. One thing connects our work: ensuring Europe’s investments make a difference in people’s lives. From education to culture, that’s what we’re exploring together in Malta and Gozo. 🇲🇹🇪🇺 @ECRepMalta

#Sport and #Culture promote peace, respect, tolerance and diversity. They should never be used as a backdoor for political propaganda or to normalise the war of aggression killing Ukrainians and terrorising Europeans in Leipzig, Narva, Vilnius, Bucharest and other cities. Today at the Foreign Affairs Council, #FAC, I called for joint European action against Russian weaponisation of sport and culture. As we have shown with #sanctions, we have the tools to act decisively and in a coordinated manner. These issues also shaped my meeting with Estonia’s Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, in Luxembourg.

#Sport must never serve state propaganda or normalise Russia’s brutal war of aggression and the terror it inflicts on Ukrainians and Europeans. @The_EOC ’s decision to allow eligible athletes to compete under a neutral protocol is the right one. It makes me proud to see that #Europe is standing firm and showing the world how sport must be protected from political manipulation. The lawsuit threats from Mikhail Degtyarev, the EU-sanctioned Russian Sport Minister and President of ROC, over restrictions on national symbols at the 2027 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Brașov only reinforces the concern that Russia seeks to exploit sport for political legitimacy. Calling these restrictions discrimination while Russia continues to kill people is to weaponise sport for propaganda purposes. I stand with @bidnyi_matvii and Ukraine’s athletes. Our commitment to peace and solidarity with Ukraine will not be weakened by threats.

Speaking from home in Malta at the #WTTCGlobal Summit. I’ve seen tourism create jobs and help family and friends build careers. In Malta, #EUsupport has helped fund training, infrastructure and cultural spaces. #Tourism’s benefits must be felt locally, with concerns about housing and infrastructure taken seriously. #Youngpeople must have a seat at the table to shape the sector today!