The Canary Islands Government Council has agreed this Monday to award the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands to Manuel Santacruz Socas from Lanzarote, known in the world of boxing as "Palenke". Along with him, this year the Association of those affected by flight JK5022 will receive this medal; the Feminist Movement of the Canary Islands; the Canary Islands Associations of Historical Memory; Rosanna Simón Álamo; the Fuerteventura Association against Cancer; Concha Jerez; Antonio Manuel Cabral Betancor; Our Lady of Africa Market; the potters of La Gomera; the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Las Palmas and the CEOE of Tenerife; Alcira Padrón Armas.
In a statement, the regional Executive recalls the career of Palenke, who among other things has been the national boxing coach for more than 25 years . "From a very young age he started in this sport and in 1955 he was selected to participate in the National Amateur Championships representing the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, winning in the Flyweight category," he points out.
"Palenke has dedicated his life to boxing and, above all, to the National Amateur Boxing Team," the statement emphasizes, which highlights that the Lanzarote athlete "participated as an official coach of the national team in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Munich, Montreal, Los Angeles and Seoul, and performed technical work at the Barcelona 92 Olympics." "From his position as professional coach, Manuel Santacruz has won more than 350 gold, silver and bronze medals. In 1990 he created the first Boxing School in the Canary Islands on the island of Lanzarote and in his municipality, Haría; he currently continues as an advisor to the Federation," he adds.
Paleke and the rest of this year's award winners will collect their medal at the Institutional Act of Canary Islands Day, which will take place on May 30 at the Pérez Galdós Theater in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. As the regional Government recalls, the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands was created in 1986 and is awarded "to people, corporations and institutions that, inside or outside the Canary Islands, have become deserving of recognition from the Canarian people." The recognition is granted by decree, after agreement by the Governing Council, and the initiative to grant the Gold Medal corresponds to the president of the Autonomous Community by his own decision or at the proposal of the Parliament of the Canary Islands.