The Malta Judo Federation has expressed deep disappointment after two of the country’s leading judokas, James Zahra and Katryna Esposito, were unexpectedly excluded from competing at the upcoming Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) 2025 in Andorra. This marks the first time Malta will have no judo representation at the GSSE — a stark and historic development for the sport.
Zahra and Esposito, both internationally ranked athletes and strong medal prospects, were fully registered and eligible for participation. Zahra is ranked 73rd in the world in the -60kg category, while Esposito holds 77th place in the -48kg category. Both athletes recently brought international acclaim to Malta: Zahra claimed gold at the European Small Nations Championship and bronze at the World Judo Tour in Perth with a rapid 12-second win over the UAE champion. Esposito earned silver in Algiers and previously made history by capturing Malta’s only judo bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
However, their categories were unexpectedly scrapped at the final technical meeting in Andorra. According to the Malta Judo Federation, two other National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were found to have breached entry rules. Instead of enforcing the official deadline, GSSE officials permitted last-minute corrections, allowing those NOCs to remove athletes to comply with the entry limits. They chose to eliminate their entries in the -48kg and -60kg categories, effectively cancelling both events and barring Zahra and Esposito from competing — despite their entries being validated at the start of the meeting.
A debatable decision
Under GSSE regulations, judo permits nine athletes across seven weight classes, with a minimum of five athletes from three countries required per category. The Malta Judo Federation maintains that the original entries should have been honoured and categories protected from such late revisions.
“This is a huge blow to two of our finest athletes and to Maltese judo as a whole,” the Federation said in a statement. “James and Katryna had met all the criteria and earned their place. The fact that their categories were erased due to administrative reshuffling is simply unacceptable.”
Despite this setback, both athletes have already secured qualification for the upcoming World Judo Championships in Budapest, thanks to their top-100 global rankings. Their focus now shifts to preparing for this next major milestone in June.
Meanwhile, Malta’s younger generation of judokas, under the direction of Italian coach Francesco Aiello, continues to show promise on the international stage. The Malta Judo Federation reaffirmed its commitment to supporting its athletes and advocating for fairness and transparency in international sporting events.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
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