The technical director and founder of the Isla Lanzarote Gymnastics Club, Clari Ramos, and the creator and director of the Lanzabasket Argana Academy, Oriol Viñoly, inaugurated this Friday the Argana Alta Festivals in honor of the Virgin Mary Help of Christians with a proclamation that highlighted the important role that sport has played as a tool for coexistence, social integration, and youth development in what is the most populous neighborhood of Arrecife.
The event was attended by the deputy mayor and councilor for Festivals, Echedey Eugenio, and the president of the Argana Viva Neighborhood Movement Association, Ricardo Ballesteros; and its setting was precisely the square adjacent to the Arrecife Sports Palace - the city's main sports infrastructure - reopened by the current municipal government six months ago after having remained closed for 13 years.
In his speech, Echedey Eugenio congratulated Ricardo Ballesteros "and all those who have contributed their bit to create, with the collaboration of the Festivals Department, an attractive program designed for the enjoyment of adults and children"; while he thanked Clari Ramos and Oriol Viñoly for having accepted the task of proclaiming the celebrations in honor of the patron saint of this neighborhood "which stands out as an example of coexistence and social integration".
Proclamation
During her speech, Clari Ramos recalled the beginnings of the Isla Lanzarote Gymnastics Club, founded in September 1999 with barely twenty boys and girls and the decisive support of numerous families, and which, almost 27 years later, has trained hundreds of young people in artistic gymnastics, becoming one of the benchmark sports clubs not only in Arrecife but in all of Lanzarote.
As an example, the figure of Olympic medalist Ray Zapata, who began his brilliant career as a gymnast in this emblematic club based in Argana Alta, is noteworthy.
For his part, Oriol Viñoly reviewed the trajectory of the Lanzabasket Argana Academy, a socio-sports initiative born in February 2022 in the neighborhood itself with the aim of using basketball as an educational and integration tool. A project that began by offering free training in schoolyards and has added outstanding sporting achievements to its social success.
The performance of Parranda El Golpito culminated the opening of the Argana Alta Festivals, which will continue to be celebrated until next Sunday the 24th with a program that highlights the performances of singer Pepe Benavente, on Monday the 18th, and comedian Omayra Cazorla, on the aforementioned Sunday the 24th, and which also includes workshops for adults and children, traditional games, playbacks, musical performances, sports exhibitions, and children's activities.
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