Sport in Tenerife

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Canarian Wrestling LuchaCanaria.jpg
Canarian Wrestling

On the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, many sports are practiced, both outdoors and indoors in the various facilities available throughout the island.

Contents

Among the sports practiced on the island include the following:

Canary Islands sports

Canarian wrestling

Canarian wrestling is practiced on the island, and may be compared to other forms of western African wrestling such as Senegalese wrestling. The fight takes place in a circle, usually on sand, and the two fighters face each other and wrestle until one is felled. There are 26 fighters in Tenerife. The island has numerous teams including two German women's wrestling teams and a league organized by the island institutions, federations and clubs with 24 schools participating in wrestling. [1]

Palo canario

Palo Canario Exhibicion de Palo Canario en Pozo Negro Fuerteventura.jpg
Palo Canario

The game of palo canario ("juego del palo") is a martial art that is practiced between two players who go into battle using sticks without actually making contact with the body of the adversary. The origin of the game was a method of warfare used by early settlers to ward off invaders and was not intended for leisure.

Tenerife has several notable Palo canario clubs: [2] Club-Escuela Acosta de los Campitos, Club-Escuela Las Mercedes, Club-Escuela Maragat, Club-Escuela Tagoror Chiregua, Club-Grupo Bijache de Arafo, Club-Grupo Chimenchia Las Canteras, Club-Grupo Hirgwan.

Bola canaria

Similar to the French game of boules, bola canaria is a sport that basically consists of gaining points by bowling balls as close to an object as possible. It is played on a rectangular field of sand or soil between 18 and 25 m in length and a width of between 3.5 and 6 m. In Paris, there are some thirty teams that are organized into three categories (first, second and second B). In the third week of August there is a special independent competition when teams can be mixed. [3]

Rural sports

On the island there are also sports events related to rural areas, primitive sports such as the lifting of stones and the carrying of livestock, the latter which has an official tournament organized by the Asociación Canaria de Arrastre. [4] In April, there is a rural sports exhibition for the whole Canaries usually held in Tegueste.

Water sports

The island lies in an ideal location for water sports due to its climate and location.

Stand Up Pedal Board

This is a new type of surf provided in Tenerife at Las Vistas beach in Los Cristianos. The Pedal board is powered only by the legs and the steering control on the handlebar. No seat, paddle or overboard splashes required. A new way to "walk on the water" and to exercise your body. With a stable and dynamic design the Stand Up Pedal Board is a whole new experience for fun seekers and it's like the best alternative of the known types of surfs: like SUP, Hawaiian surf etc.

Surf, windsurfing and kitesurfing

Preparacion para una jornada de kitesurf en El Medano. Tenerife62.jpg
Preparación para una jornada de kitesurf en El Médano.

On the island traditional surfing is practiced, as is windsurfing, and the latest, kitesurfing. The island has ten schools and several courses devoted to learning these sports. The main areas for the practice of these disciplines are at El Médano, Playa de Las Américas, the coast of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Güímar, the coasts of Valle de La Orotava, and especially at Playa del Socorro in Los Realejos. Some of them have been held several Grand Slam contests for the World Cup in the disciplines of "waves", "slalom" and "race courses".

Diving

As with surfing and windsurfing, there are many diving schools and clubs throughout the coast of Tenerife. On the island there are up to thirty areas for diving where it is possible not only to discover interesting marine flora and fauna, but also in some places to explore the wrecks of sunken ships. Among the best places for diving are Las Galletas, Playa Paraíso and the Punta de la Rasca al Sur, as well as Garachico, Puerto de la Cruz or the Punta de Teno al Norte. [5] The presence of species such as turtles, a permanent colony of pilot whales, and the existence of the bottlenose dolphin means that diving is never done alone.

Swimming

Swimming is one of the most practiced sports on the island, either in pools or on the shores of the island. There is not only swimming, but water polo, with the Club Natación Martiánez which competes in the National Spanish Water Polo League, synchronized swimming, and long distance "open water" swimming. In Tenerife, there are six teams in the swimming federation: [6] C.N. Teneteide, C.N Alameda, C.N. Echeyde, C.D. Teimar, C.N. Tenerife Masters and C.N Martiánez.

Boating

Tenerife is ideally placed in the centre of the Canary Islands to offer all types of water sports such as sailing, motor cruising and powerboating. Chartering a yacht, or joining a sailing course, enables one to explore the unspoilt areas of Tenerife as well as further afield to other islands such as La Gomera, La Palma and Gran Canaria. Official competitions exist in regards to boating which include the Vellatina, Laser', Snipe, Crucero and the Optimist, for example. Some events are held purely for competitors on the island, while others feature competition from throughout the Canary Islands, Spain, or even internationally. The first ever RYA (Royal Yachting Association) overseas training centre Club Sail was established on the island and still offers training in all types of boating. There are also various sport fishing clubs that exist on the island and a championship of offshore fishing. [7]

Aerial sports

Parapente. Paragliding.jpg
Parapente.

In another sense, sports such as skydiving and paragliding play an important role. [8] The Festival Internacional de Parapente (International Festival of Paragliding) (FLYPA) is held in Los Realejos. There are more than 40 places on the island which are used for these aerial sports.

Motor sports

In Tenerife, motocross, karting and rallying are three motorsports practiced on the island. Throughout the year, rally competitions are held in their various divisions which take place as part of the regional championship of the Canary Islands. Asphalt rallies are conducted in three tests: Rally Isla de Tenerife, Rally de Granadilla and Rally Villa de Adeje. In the mountain rallying category, there are seven tests, including Güímar. There is also a slalom event held at Arico.

Other sports

In addition to the above, other sports are played on the island:

Volleyball

Volleyball is one of the island's most successful sports, particularly in women's volleyball where CV Tenerife were European champions and participate in the Spanish Super League. [9] Two other teams are the women's CV Aguere 2009/2010 Super League champions [10] and the men's Arona Playa de las Américas which competes in the Spanish Super League. There is a growing interest in this sport in Tenerife. [11]

Football

As in much of the rest of Spain, football is, by far, the sport most practiced and followed by all the island. The Federación Tinerfeña de Fútbol (Football Federation of Tenerife) has a total of 305 teams competing in the different leagues, and football fields are spread throughout the island territory. [12] Chelsea and Spain forward Pedro Rodriguez was born in Tenerife.

The most prominent football team in Tenerife is Club Deportivo Tenerife, who play in the Segunda División (Spanish Second Division). [13] Another team from Tenerife is Club Deportivo San Isidro. [14]

Roller Hockey

The city has a roller hockey team, CP Tenerife, one of the most important in Spain, and dispute the main League OK Liga.

Basketball

In Tenerife, there is also an opportunity to practice basketball, and many schools and colleges offer the chance to learn and practice the sport. Specifically, the Liga LEB, the second top level Spanish competition includes two teams from this island: Tenerife Rural and Club Baloncesto Canarias. Tenerife was the host city for the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.

Baseball

Tenerife is home to a baseball academy run by the Atlanta Braves, which has resulted in a number of amateur signings. The island's baseball club, the Marlins Puerto Cruz, is among the more successful clubs in Spain's top baseball circuit, the Division de Honor de Beisbol.

Hiking

The extensive network of roads and pathways on the island allows hiking. Numerous associations or companies organize trips into the hills, mountains or along rural roads on the island. [15] Canyoning is a speciality in regards to hiking, and takes the hiker to inaccessible places with high-value natural landscapes. Cliff top walking is common and there is also ropes and climbing equipment available in some places.

Golf

Golf is a sport that has extensive courses and facilities for practice in Tenerife. It is a discipline which is highly tourism-oriented and generates significant revenue on the island but consequently places a large demand on available water resources. There are a total of nine golf courses on the island. [16] These include Real Club de Golf de Tenerife, Abama Golf, Golf Las Americas, Golf Costa Adeje, Golf del Sur, Amarilla Golf & Country Club, Centro de Golf Los Palos, Buenavista Golf and Golf La Rosaleda.

Rugby union

Tenerife has its own rugby team. [17]

Other

Various other sports played on Tenerife include cycling, rowing, tennis, squash, horse riding, judo, karate, and athletics. Club Atletismo Tenerife CajaCanarias is the island's most noted athletic club.[ citation needed ] Also worth mentioning is the ultramarathon CajaMar Tenerife Bluetrail, the highest race in Spain and second in Europe, [18] with the participation of several countries and great international repercussions.

Related Research Articles

Canary Islands Archipelago in the Atlantic and autonomous community of Spain

The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, is a Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in a region known as Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres west of Morocco. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain, and are located in the African Tectonic Plate. The archipelago is economically and politically European, and is part of the European Union.

Fuerteventura One of the Canary Islands

Fuerteventura is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the North Africa region, politically part of Spain. At 1,660 square kilometres (640 sq mi), it is the second largest of the Canary Islands, after Tenerife. As at the start of 2019, Fuerteventura had 116,886 inhabitants, the least populated of the Province of Las Palmas. It was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in May 2009. Its capital is Puerto del Rosario.

Las Palmas Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Las Palmas, officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean.

Gran Canaria Spanish island of the Canary Islands

Gran Canaria, also Grand Canary Island, is the third largest and second most populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. As of 2019 the island had a population of 851,231 that constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the capital of the island, is the biggest city of the Canary Islands and the ninth of Spain.

Tenerife Largest, most populous Canary Island

Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of 2,034 square kilometres (785 sq mi) and a population of 966,354 inhabitants at the end of 2020, it is also the most populous island of Spain and of Macaronesia.

Los Realejos Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Los Realejos is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, which is the biggest of the Canary Islands. It is part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The town is located 2 km from the north coast, 5 km southwest of Puerto de la Cruz, 6 km west of La Orotava, and 34 km southwest of the island's capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The inhabitants are known in Spanish as realejeros.

UD Las Palmas Spanish association football team

Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Las Palmas, on the island of Gran Canaria in the autonomous community of Canary Islands. Founded on 22 August 1949, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at the Estadio Gran Canaria, with a capacity of 32,400 seats. The club traditionally play in yellow shirts with blue shorts and socks.

Adeje Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Adeje is a town and municipality in the southwestern part of the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, and part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The town Adeje is located 4 km from the coast, 8 km north of the resort town Los Cristianos, 60 km southwest of the island capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife and about 17 km northwest of Tenerife South Airport.

Hermigua Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Hermigua is a town and a municipality in the northeastern part of La Gomera in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain. It is located 12 km northwest of the island's capital, San Sebastián de la Gomera. The Garajonay National Park covers the southern part of the municipality.

Valle Gran Rey Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Valle Gran Rey is a municipality in the western part of the island La Gomera, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain. The Guanche name of the area was Orone. The seat of the municipality since 1930 is La Calera; previously it was in Arure.

Royal Spanish Football Federation Governing body of association football in Spain

The Royal Spanish Football Federation is the governing body of football in Spain. It is based in La Ciudad del Fútbol of Las Rozas, a municipality near Madrid. It was founded on 14 October 1909 as Federación Española de Clubs de Football, and officially founded on 29 September 1913.

Manuel Mora Morales

Manuel Mora Morales is a Canarian writer, filmmaker and editor. He completed his studies at the University of La Laguna on the island of Tenerife. He is the president of the Asociación de Editores de Canarias.

Tourism is an essential part of the economy of the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean, 100 kilometres west of Morocco. Seven main islands and six islets make up the Canary Islands. They had more than 9 million foreign incoming tourists in 2007. Tourists seeking sunshine and beaches first began to visit the Canaries in large numbers in the 1960s. The Canary Islands are a leading European tourist destination with very attractive natural and cultural resources.

Canary Islands derby

The Canary Islands derby is the name given to football matches contesting Spanish sides UD Las Palmas and C.D. Tenerife, who are regarded as the top two sides in the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands derby is a match with a lot of rivalry and intensity that has always faced the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria and its inhabitants. According to World Soccer Magazine, the Canary Islands derby is on the list of the 50 greatest rivalries in the world and is considered one of the most important and spectacular derbies in Spain.

Michelle Alonso Spanish Paralympic swimmer

Michelle Alonso Morales is a swimmer competitor from Spain. She has been dubbed by the media as "The Little Mermaid of the Canary Islands". She is also considered one of the most important personalities of Spanish sport.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain.

Lucha del garrote

The fight stick is a folk sport practised throughout the Canary Islands.

As in the rest of Spain, the majority religion in the Canary Islands is the Catholic Church. The Catholic religion has been the majority since the Conquest of the Canary Islands in the fifteenth century. This religion would largely replace the Canarian aboriginal religion through the prohibition of the latter and syncretism. According to a survey conducted in 2019, Canary Islands is the fifth autonomous community in Spain with the highest percentage of people who declare themselves to be Catholics after the Region of Murcia, Extremadura, Galicia, Aragon, and Castile and León. 76.7% of the population is Catholic.

Tenerife Group of Independents Political party in Spain

The Tenerife Group of Independents was a Spanish political party based in the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, that existed from March 1983 until its integration into Canarian Coalition.

Canarian Football Federation

The Canarian Football Federation is the football association responsible for all competitions of any form of football developed in the Canary Islands. It is integrated into the Royal Spanish Football Federation and its headquarters are located in Las Palmas.

References

  1. Página web oficial de la federación de lucha canaria de Tenerife
  2. Federated clubs listing Source: Federación del Juego del Palo Canario
  3. Federación canaria de petanca y bola canaria
  4. Federación canaria de arrastre
  5. Federación canaria de actividades subacuáticas Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Federación Insular de Natación de Tenerife Archived 2005-11-06 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Campeonato de Pesca de Altura al Curricán "Isla de Tenerife" Archived 2008-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Federación canaria de deportes aéreos
  9. Noticia ofrecida por el periódico Diario de Avisos
  10. El Deportivo. "El Jamper Aguere, campeón de liga" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  11. Federación canaria de voleibol
  12. Página de la Federación Tinerfeña de Futbol
  13. Web oficial del C.D. Tenerife Archived 2008-10-26 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Página web oficial del Club Deportivo Raqui San Isidro Archived 2008-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Asociaciones y Federaciones de Deportes de Aventura de Tenerife
  16. Información sobre los campos de golf en la isla de Tenerife (Turismo de Tenerife) Archived 2008-03-22 at the Wayback Machine
  17. http://rugbytenerife.com/
  18. Tenerife Bluetrail, la carrera más alta de España