More than 5,000 schoolchildren will participate in the 35th edition of the Tenerife Island Council Games

The Tenerife Island Council’s Sports Department presented the details of the 35th edition of the Tenerife Island Council Games this morning to representatives from the island’s 31 municipalities. This flagship sports program sees the participation of all the island’s municipalities each year.

This year’s games will offer participants 30 disciplines, and, as in previous years, traditional sports and games will be featured prominently, including stick fighting, pina (a type of throwing game), and billarda (a traditional game).

New this year, the Island Council is including water sports such as sailing and surfing. According to data presented in the annual report by Solventia, the company contracted to manage the games, approximately 5,000 schoolchildren participated in the last edition.

The Island Councillor for Sports, Concepción Rivero, stated that “the Cabildo Games are a priority program for the department” and added that it is “a model of success, not only for promoting a more active and healthy youth population, but also for being a national example of equal participation, since more than 55% of those registered are female, which highlights the importance of the design of these types of programs and the selection of the activities that comprise them in guaranteeing equal participation.”

The Councillor, as well as the Island Director, Ángel Pérez, wanted to personally thank the representatives of the municipalities for their willingness to collaborate in the development of a program that has continued to be held despite the COVID-19 pandemic, always ensuring compliance with the corresponding preventative measures.

Rivero commented that “these have been two atypical years, in which many events have had to be temporarily suspended and even specific activities adapted or canceled; but, even so, thanks to the involvement of the municipalities, sports federations, clubs, and families, a large number of gatherings, matches, and gatherings have been successfully held.”

For his part, Ángel Pérez announced that this year the Cabildo Games “will feature 30 sports, including new additions such as the Canary Islands Motor Games, which will allow children to play and learn about traditional games like stick fighting, pina, billarda, and many others.” He also explained that “with the clear intention of encouraging the population to embrace the sea, we are launching two pilot programs with sailing and surfing activities, hoping they will be well received by the island’s youth.”