The Masters Games have established themselves as a unique initiative to encourage adults on the island to participate in physical and sports activities

The Tenerife Island Council, through its Sports Department, brought the seventh edition of the Juegos Máster program to a close last Saturday, July 27, solidifying its position as a unique initiative for introducing and promoting physical and sports activities among the island’s adult population, with an appealing lineup of activities that have filled weekends with activity, fun, and health since last November.

The Regional Minister of Sports, Yolanda Moliné, notes that these 7th Masters Games spanned a total of 33 days across 19 municipalities that collaborated with this program to make it a resounding success. Moliné notes that this season, 12 sports were featured in these Masters Games, including the debut of the obstacle course, a sport that has been experiencing a real boom in recent times. Through these two days of events, the goal was to introduce participants to the sport by teaching technical skills and encouraging an initial experience that would inspire and promote ongoing training among attendees so they can participate in these races.

In addition to this new sport, mountain bike touring, road cycling, and track and field have continued to be the sports with the highest participation rates for yet another year, and badminton, orienteering, paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, tai chi, table tennis, trail running, and yoga have also remained popular, all recording high satisfaction levels with an overall average of 4.7 out of 5 in the surveys conducted after the events concluded.

Yolanda Moliné points out that the participation figures also underscore the success of this year’s Masters Games, with a record-breaking 1,558 participants. Notably, women’s participation in this program also set a record, reaching the highest percentage to date at 44%, compared to 56% for men. In terms of age groups, people aged 45 to 49 had the highest participation rate at 21%, followed by those aged 50 to 54 at 17% and those aged 40 to 44 at 15%.

On the other hand, when analyzing the places of origin of the participants in these 7th Masters Games, most are from La Laguna (33%), followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (28%), and Candelaria (5%).

The councilor thanks all the municipal governments that have collaborated on this edition of the Masters Games, and La Fast for providing healthy refreshments on each and every day of the event. Please note that all events were free of charge and organized with a strong emphasis on fun and camaraderie, with the goal of encouraging people over 35 to take up sports. For more information, visit www.deportestenerife.es.