Representatives of the organizing and collaborating entities of the Travesía Playas de Papagayo appeared this Wednesday in the gardens of the Dreams Lanzarote Playa Dorada hotel to present the fourteenth edition of the sports event that will take place this Saturday, October 12, in southern waters, between the coast of the Los Ajaches Natural Monument and Playa Dorada, in the tourist town of Playa Blanca, with 250 swimmers of different competitive levels and the participation of about 20 athletes with functional diversity who make the Travesía Playas de Papagayo a test that opens the door to inclusion.
The organization is led by B15 Active, and its top manager, Óliver Acuña, with the support of the Yaiza City Council and the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the participation of private entities. In the midst of the natural beauty of southern Lanzarote, the Travesía Playas de Papagayo proposes distances of 7 kilometers and 5 kilometers and the inclusive modality of 50 meters that, with participants representing different social associations of the Island, will make sport the best engine of social inclusion.
The inclusive test will be held in Playa Dorada as well as hosting the short distances for children and young people of 1.2 km, 400 m, 200 and 50 m, in addition to the distance of 3x300 m by relays.
The presentation was attended by Ángel Lago, Councilor for Sports of the Yaiza City Council; Juan Monzón, Councilor for Sports of the Cabildo de Lanzarote; Marci Acuña, Councilor for Social Welfare of the Cabildo de Lanzarote; Abraham Martínez, corporate director of events of the Hesperia company; and Óliver Acuña, technical director of the event.
“It is a pleasure to host a top-level sporting event again in the waters of Playa Blanca in an already consolidated competition, where many participants from the municipality are encouraged to participate. The test also shows the natural beauty of Playa Blanca and the good climate that we enjoy throughout the year,” said Ángel Lago.
For his part, Juan Monzón maintained that “for the Cabildo it is an obligation to support this type of competition, and also after so many years being a reality, not only for local athletes, but also for those athletes who come from outside the island to compete in an unparalleled setting such as the beaches of Papagayo.”
Marci Acuña highlighted “the social nature of this event, and it is a real joy that I have been invited as Minister of Social Welfare to the presentation of the crossing because it means that we are on the right line of work so that sport is for everyone and that inclusion has a place in all competitions.”
Reasons that were seconded by Abraham Martínez, who as a sponsor also assured that “the test is once again among our support bets because it continues to demonstrate that the sport – tourism binomial gives good results. For us it is a pride to be supporting the event and hopefully this support will last for many years.”
Finally, the technical director of the Travesía, Oliver Acuña, was satisfied “for the growth of the competition and the participation of demanding swimmers and other more popular athletes, all treated by the organization with the utmost attention and respect.”
Those registered in 7 km will leave Papagayo at 9:20 a.m. and then those in 5 km will leave. From 12:00 noon, the rest of the short distance swimmers will leave from Playa Dorada. The awards ceremony of the Travesía Playas de Papagayo Dreams Lanzarote Playa Dorada will take place at 2:45 p.m. at the hotel facilities. After the awards ceremony there will be a solidarity lunch to raise funds in favor of the Lanzarote Association for Assistance in Multiple Sclerosis (Alanem).
The Travesía is sponsored by the Yaiza City Council, Turismo Lanzarote through Lanzarote Sports Destination, Insular Sports Service, Government of the Canary Islands - Canary Islands, Hotel Dreams Lanzarote Playa Dorada, Tripasión Eventos, and the collaboration of the La Caixa Foundation through CaixaBank. In the creative section, the participation of Yaizart stands out with the design and elaboration of medals and trophies.