Exhausted but radiant with happiness, backpacks full of medals, emotions, and new dreams to fulfill, the members of the Lanzarote delegation returned home this Sunday after participating in the Special Olympics Castellón 2025 International Meeting, the great festival of inclusive sport dedicated to young people with intellectual functional diversity.
The Lanzarote expedition was made up of nine members of the Creciendo Sports Club, eight of them members of the Unified Football 7 team —Eduardo González, Adrián Rodríguez, Sergio Gabriel Medina, Isidro Navarro, Daniel Ramírez, Esteban Montenegro, Alejo Sánchez, Borja Arias and José Manuel Tabares—, who played matches against teams from Galicia, Aragon and Austria.
They were joined by Manuel Quintana, the club's representative in swimming, along with two athletes from ADISLAN, also participating in this discipline. A distinguished representation from Lanzarote and the Canary Islands, integrated within Plena Inclusión Canarias, which proudly carried the inclusive spirit of the Archipelago.
During four days of unforgettable coexistence, the young people shared hope, effort, and friendship with more than 400 athletes from 14 autonomous communities and eight European countries. The competitions took place in an atmosphere of respect, joy, and camaraderie, where each athlete had the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment and passion for the sport.
"It was a competition in which everyone shone with their own light. The results are secondary, because the real triumph lies in weaving human and emotional networks through sports," said Ligia Molnar, director of the Creciendo Social Association.
"Seeing how our athletes enjoy themselves, support each other, and grow together is the greatest reward possible," she added.
This has been the third consecutive year that the Creciendo Sports Club has participated in the Special Olympics, consolidating its presence on the national scene of inclusive sports. If in previous editions the young people competed in swimming, this year they took a step further by incorporating the unified soccer category, thus expanding their sporting horizon with enthusiasm and commitment.
Since its inception, the Creciendo Social Association has conceived of sport as a powerful tool for social transformation and inclusion, promoting activities in various municipalities of Lanzarote.