Thursday, July 4, 2024, 12:27 PM | Updated 2:49 PM.
The Flechas Rosas project, from the Extremadura Archery Federation, has been recognised with the 20th Espiga Award for the Promotion of Physical Activity and Sport, awarded by Caja Rural de Extremadura, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Sports of the Regional Government of Extremadura and the Extremadura sports federations.
The jury praised the Flechas Rosas project “for using sport to raise awareness and collaborate in a charitable cause.” Specifically, the Extremadura Archery Federation, coinciding with World Breast Cancer Day, is holding open days and a charity tournament to raise awareness about the prevention of this type of cancer and to highlight the benefits that archery brings in the fight against this disease. The prize, worth 4,000 euros, was presented by the president of Caja Rural de Extremadura, Urbano Caballo; and the Minister of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Victoria Bazaga, at an event also attended by the Mayor of Badajoz, Ignacio Gragera; the President of the Provincial Council of Badajoz, Miguel Ángel Gallardo; the General Manager of Caja Rural de Extremadura, Juan Palacios; the General Manager of Sports, Santi Amaro; as well as members of the jury, institutional representatives, athletes and directors of the clubs and associations that have participated in this edition of the competition, in which a total of 23 candidates have reached the final.
Other awards
Along with the main award, three other prizes were awarded, each with a prize of 1,500 euros. In the Individual Sport category, Mariela Vázquez Bohoyo was recognised. She is a young badminton player with a meteoric career, who was called up to the Spanish under-15 team and has positioned herself at number 1 in the national under-19 ranking, ahead of players who train in training centres with better infrastructure. The young athlete from Cáceres belongs to the Cura Mora Sports Association, in Villanueva de la Vera.
This club was the winner of the award in the category of Collective Sport. AD Cura Mora is a benchmark at regional level – where it contributes the highest percentage of players to the Extremadura badminton team – and nationally for the successes achieved, despite being a small association from a town of just over 2,000 inhabitants. AD Cura Mora began its journey at the beginning of 2000 with a small indoor football section and now has more than 200 athletes who, during the year, travel around the region, with the School Sports Games, and nationally, especially with established sections such as badminton.
Finally, the Camino a la Vida Association, based in Montijo and with a futsal school in Badajoz, won the award in the Inclusive Sport category. This entity’s main objective is the immediate assistance, rehabilitation and social reintegration of people who, regardless of their origin, race or religion, have problems derived from addictive behaviour and/or are at risk of social exclusion, and it has used sport to help them do so.
Thank you award
The Special Thanks Award also recognises the extensive career linked to sport of Agustín Rubio Corchado, director of the Municipal Sports Board of Alburquerque. Rubio Corchado has been a national athletics coach and national coach of athletics for people with cerebral palsy. The jury highlighted his commitment to sport for all and by all.
Finally, two honorable mentions were awarded in this category of Thanks to the Asunción Josefinas Santísima Trinidad School of Cáceres and another to the Municipal Sports Foundation of Badajoz for its work with grassroots sport in the city.
A diploma was also awarded to the 20 finalists of this twentieth edition of the Espiga Awards, among whom were Gloria María Fernández (sport dance), Alba Martín (karate) and Triana López (motorcycling) at the individual level; in Collective Sport the CP Don Bosco, Pádel Indoor Puente Real, Arte Físico Triathlon, Extremadura Tennis Federation, Extremadura Wrestling Federation and Associated Sports, CD Quintana, CP Alburquerque, ADEFUBA (Sports Association of Employees and Public Officials of Badajoz), Mérida Sports Training, Sagrado Corazón de Jesús de Trujillo and the IMSS of Badajoz; and in Inclusive Sport to Juan Carlos Caso (marathon).
The president of Caja Rural de Extremadura, Urbano Caballo, congratulated the winners and stressed that these awards “embodied the principles and spirit of commitment of the Caja”, since they are based on values such as teamwork, humility, the culture of effort and perseverance.
He also took the opportunity to recall the good health of these awards, which are now 20 years old, and stressed their philosophy, which is focused on recognising other values, apart from victory, such as career, social involvement or impact on the territory.
For his part, the President of the Provincial Council, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, congratulated the athletes and stressed that it is a “recognition of their work.” Each athlete, he commented, is an ambassador for the region. He also highlighted the importance of entities such as Caja Rural de Extremadura and its commitment to talent and young people.
The Mayor of Badajoz, Ignacio Gragera, thanked the Municipal Sports Institute for the recognition and highlighted the work of the Caja, which “is always there and believes in this land.”
To close the event, the Minister of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Victoria Bazaga, praised the work of the “athletes” and recalled that, as it was an Olympic year, she wished the Extremadura representatives luck at the Paris Games and, regardless of the results, she urged them to wait for them with open arms. She also thanked Caja Rural de Extremadura for its “patronage” work.
During the gala, two exhibitions were performed by karatekas Ariadna Sánchez and Vera Caraballo and gymnasts from the Nuria Cabanillas School with a representation of fire in a nod to the Olympic Games.
After 20 editions, the Espiga Sports Awards have become a benchmark in regional sport and a support for clubs and athletes from Extremadura with which Caja Rural de Extremadura reaffirms its commitment to sport in Extremadura as a social driving force and for healthy living.
The jury of this 20th Edition was made up of María Navarro, manager of the Education and Promotion Fund of Caja Rural de Extremadura; Pedro J. Gordillo, director of Sports Promotion of the Regional Government of Extremadura; Chema Mateos, from the Badajoz Marathon Club; José Luis Domínguez, general secretary of the Extremadura Paddle Tennis Federation; Jesús Luis Blanco, honorary president of the Basketball Federation; Raquel Torrado Pino, director of Commercial Transformation of Caja Rural de Extremadura; and María Ramos, athlete and marathon runner. Miguel Ángel Guzmán acted as technical secretary of the jury.
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2024-07-04 10:27:11
#Pink #Arrows #project #Espiga #Award
