Kevin Azzopardi appointed new CEO of sports integrity authority following public call

The Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport (AIMS) has appointed Kevin Azzopardi as its new chief executive officer following a public call, the authority announced on Thursday.

His appointment comes months after the resignation of Jean Claude Micallef, who had stepped down in March just three months into the role amid internal tensions and controversy surrounding the authority.

In its announcement, AIMS described Azzopardi as a seasoned sports professional with a long-standing record in education and governance. A graduate in Physical Education from the University of Malta (2002), Azzopardi taught for 12 years before being appointed Education Officer for Physical Education and Sport in 2014 within the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation.

During that time, he led initiatives such as the National Sport School, the Sport Career Development Programme, and the Malta School Games. He also holds a master’s degree in Comparative Euro-Mediterranean Education Studies and is currently pursuing doctoral research at the Institute for Maltese Studies.

Azzopardi’s involvement in sport extends well beyond education. He was a football referee for 18 years, including at international level, before serving as Director of Refereeing at the Malta Football Association and later as a UEFA referee observer. He also worked as Referee Development Officer at Northumberland FA in the UK.

Since 2021, Azzopardi has been secretary general of the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC), where he played a central role in the organisation of the 2023 Games of the Small States of Europe held in Malta. He was also involved in the successful bid for Malta and Gozo to host the 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games and in securing Gozo’s membership in the International Island Games Association.

Within the MOC, he was Malta’s representative on sport integrity matters, liaising with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions.

The Ministry for Education congratulated Azzopardi on his appointment and wished him success in leading AIMS, the body responsible for safeguarding integrity and transparency in Maltese sport.

AIMS, established to combat issues such as match-fixing and doping, has faced turbulence in recent months. Former CEO Jean Claude Micallef resigned in March, citing difficulties with the authority’s board and chairman, retired judge Antonio Mizzi. His departure followed internal disputes and controversy over the authority’s hiring of a former footballer previously convicted of attempted bribery.