Matthew Abela

Abela started playing badminton when he was 5 years old. His father, a Badminton coach, would bring him along to training sessions.^[3] He trained at the Paola badminton club, and entered the Maltese national team foe the first time in 2011. He won his first U19 national junior title in 2011, and by the end of 2019 had collected eleven U19 national junior titles.^[1][4] He made his international debut in the junior level tournaments in 2013, and to improve and with the intention to improve his game to become a better badminton player, he joined Badminton Europe's Centre of Excellence, based in Holbæk, Denmark, in September 2017.^[1][3]

By 2021, Abela had won six men's singles title and one mixed doubles title at the Maltese National Championships.^[4] He was selected to participate at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, with partition granted through the IOC Tripartite Commission (invitation places).^[5][6] In doing so, Abela became the first badminton player to ever represent Malta at the Olympics.^[7]

He competed for Malta at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England playing doubles alongside Sam Cassar.^[8]

Competing at the South Africa International in 2024, he won gold in the Men’s Doubles together with his doubles partner Maxim Grinblat, defeating Dorian James and Robert Summers in three sets in the final.^[9]

Abela is a fan of Liverpool F.C. and has stated his favourite ever player is Steven Gerrard.^[10]