Kevin Azzopardi has been appointed as the chief executive officer of the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sports (AIMS). 

The appointment, which followed a public call, comes eight months after the previous CEO, Jean Claude Micallef, resigned from the role after just three months following revelations from Times of Malta that he had engaged a banned footballer to work for the authority and was being chased for money by private clients. 

AIMS was set up to prevent doping, match-fixing and manipulation of competitions, and to oversee the licensing of sports facilities and operators, regulatory and legal affairs in sport. 

In a statement, the ministry for education, sport, youth, research and innovation said Azzopardi brought thirty 30 years of experience in Maltese sports to the role.  

Since 2021, he has been the secretary general of the Maltese Olympic Committee, where he played a key role in the organisation of the Games of the Small States of Europe that were held in Malta in 2023, as well as Malta’s winning the bid to host the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2027. 

Azzopardo also holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Euro-Mediterranean Education Studies and is currently carrying out doctoral research related to the sociocultural identity that popular and traditional sport gives to Maltese towns and villages within the Institute for Maltese Studies at the University of Malta. 

“Mr Azzopardi led a complete overhaul in this sector that now enjoys national priority status and was mainly responsible for the National Sport School, the Sport Career Development Programme and more recently, the Malta School Games,” the ministry said. 

He was also football referee for 18 years, including at international level, followed by four years as director of refereeing at the Malta FA as well as a UEFA Referee Observer. 

He also holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Euro-Mediterranean Education Studies and is currently carrying out doctoral research related to the sociocultural identity that popular and traditional sport gives to Maltese towns and villages within the Institute for Maltese Studies at the University of Malta.