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Gozo's medal success at its first International Island Games has sparked questions over the future of its relationship with Malta.
Gozo is the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago.
The Gozitan government successfully applied to join the International Island Games Association ahead of the Guernsey 2023 Games, giving athletes a chance to compete under the Gozo flag as opposed to the Malta flag.
Joyce Farugia - a civil servant for the Maltese government who has been involved in Gozo's Island Games journey - said the ultimate aim was to give those athletes a chance to represent their home island.
Pictured: The AGM in 2022 saw Gozo welcomed to the Island Games family. Joyce Farugia is on the far right.
“The Minister for Gozo strongly believes that this is a unique opportunity for sports on the island and sport in Gozo can develop further and give Gozitain athletes the chance to represent their native island on the international scene,” said Ms Farugia.
“I am not a sports person myself, but I saw this as an opportunity for sports and for the Gozitan athletes where they can spread their wings. They can go and represent Gozo,” she added.
Ms Farugia is in Guernsey this week, and was watching as Lara Calleja secured Gozo's first Island Games medal - a silver in the trap shooting.
That has since been followed up with a gold medal for Marlon Attard in the shooting.
The Gozitan footballers have progressed through to the semi finals in their competition and Gozitan swimmers, athletes and cyclists continue to compete.
Their progress is being watched by people in Malta as well as Gozo, with The Maltese Times questioning whether their sporting success will inspire Gozitans to seek further autonomy.
Pictured: Lara Callejo "made history" when she won Gozo's first medal at its first Island Games.
Mark Laurence Zammit wrote: "Gozo has made history by winning two medals at an international sports competition in which it is competing as Gozo, rather than as part of Malta.
"The sister island is competing as Gozo for the first time in history, with a team of all-Gozitan athletes bearing the Gozo flag - featuring the iconic three hills - rather than the red and white Maltese flag."
The article then goes into detail about Gozo's relationship with Malta, and compares it to other competing islands in the Island Games.
Gozo had an elected regional authority until 1973, but more recently has been considered a region of Malta.
"Gozo has not had any self-governing status since (1973), and the closest it got to have some form of say in its own affairs was in 1987 when the government set up a Gozo Ministry for the first time," wrote Laurence Zammit.
"Some believe Gozo should have some form of political and economic autonomy to ensure Gozitans get to decide over the future of their own island.
"However, others say its territory is too small, its resources too weak, and its GDP too meagre to create a functioning, flourishing modern economy with all the infrastructure that it entails."
Some of the competing islands have far larger populations than Gozo but are self governing, including the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey, the Isle of Man and Faroe Islands.
Another competing island, Orkney, has considered claiming independence from the UK - or could become a self-governing territory or Norway under new proposals discussed this month.
The islands are said to be concerned about being "failed dreadfully" by the UK and Scottish governments and want to regain their financial autonomy.
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