Polo enthusiasts blast delays at Marsa racetrack

Polo enthusiasts have accused the private consortium awarded a long-term concession to redevelop the Marsa racetrack of failing to deliver on its investment commitments, claiming that work on a new polo pitch has stalled in breach of the agreement with the government.

Marsa Racetrack Ltd, which holds a 65-year concession to modernise the historic sporting venue, rejected the allegations and said construction was progressing as planned.

Members of the Malta Polo Club – one of the world’s oldest polo associations -told The Shift that a new polo pitch scheduled for delivery this year was “nowhere near completion”, with work abandoned over the summer months.

They claimed the concession agreement required the developers to deliver a “properly constructed, levelled and soil-prepared” pitch by March 2025, built in line with Federation of International Polo standards.

“So far, they have only built gutters and reservoirs, and we have no pitch to play on. All works stopped in August, and the club is now at risk of having no polo season at all,” one club source said. They added that despite agreements and documentation in writing, “the main part of the works was not delivered”.

Contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the consortium disputed the claims and cited a different timetable. He said work could only begin after the annual Cawnpore Cup, which was delayed to June, pushing back the construction schedule.

“The polo field has already been rebuilt with different layers so that water drains into the reservoirs,” the spokesperson said. “Further levels will be laid in the coming months, with testing supervised by independently approved agronomists. With results in hand, works will continue to deliver a polo field according to the designs and specifications.”

A site visit by The Shift showed the pitch remains far from complete.

The €30 million project was first announced in 2017 under the administration of disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat and envisaged an international-standard racing complex by 2023. The masterplan included new grandstands, stables, expanded training facilities, a modern clubhouse and a dedicated polo field.

Marsa Racetrack Ltd said delays were largely the result of protracted planning procedures and insisted it was “delivering” on its obligations despite missing several of the initial deadlines.