16,000 participants flood streets for President's Fun Run

Around 16,000 participants this morning joined the fray to take part in the annual President’s Fun Run in aid of the Community Chest Fund.

The Fun Run began at 10am from four routes – the San Anton Palace for runners, and Paola Square, St Venera and the University of Malta for the participants who opted to walk.  The runners then passed through a number of villages before making their way to Blata l-Bajda to go to the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta.

Upon arriving in Valletta, the participants, ran through Republic Street to reach the Grandmaster’s Palace.

Organised by the Malta Community Chest Fund with the help of Kunsill Malti għall-Isport in aid of L-Istrina, this year’s edition - which adopted the slogan of 'One nation, One heartbeat' -introduced new routes and a host of celebrities, in addition to the usual festive atmosphere.

Sports organisations and NGOs as well as teams from different companies joined the fray, to make the event a truly memorable one.

Participants were given a commemorative t-shirt and a bib, against a donation of €10.

Among those who took part in this year’s edition were President of the Republic Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, and several other MPs and dignitaries. This year’s edition also saw the participation of World Cup star Toto Schillaci and Francesco Mariottini, an Italian dancer from popular TV show Amici.

In her comments, President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said the Maltese broke yet another record, with over 16,000 participants joining the fray in this year's fun run. Moreover, the president thanked the participants and spoke of her “honour” to being Maltese.

On his part, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat presented a €10,000 donation by the government to the Malta Community Chest Fund, and also said that every year, the Maltese people outdo themselves.

Echoing Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, the prime minister also paid tribute to the participants for uniting for a good cause.