There are places where history does not need to be told because it remains alive. It is breathed, heard, and, above all, felt. One of those places is, without a doubt, the "Andrés Curbelo - Pollo de Tao" ring, where last Saturday afternoon one of those scenes that are already part of a town's sentimental heritage was repeated.
At 7:30 PM, the Tao Wrestling Club opened the doors to a new season, 2026-2027, with the presentation of all categories. And as has been happening year after year, family, friends, and fans came to the event to support the true protagonists of the day: the men and women who keep the passion for our vernacular sport alive, generation after generation.
It was a simple event, without great fanfare, but full of emotion.
One by one, the male and female wrestlers were called. And one by one, they jumped into the ring, carrying a handful of that blond sand that covers the enclosure in their hands. A simple, almost symbolic gesture, but one that seems to contain a whole declaration of principles; here is the land, here is the tradition, and here is the commitment of those who arrive to continue writing history.
For this new season, the Tao Wrestling Club has 105 male and female wrestlers, divided among the Youth, Cadet, Junior, U-11, U-10, U-9, and Senior categories.
To them are added 21 members of the technical staff and the Board of Directors, people who, from different responsibilities, make it possible for the club to raise the curtain again each season.
Because behind every wrestler who steps onto the ring, there are many hours of work. There are training sessions, travel, organization, families, directors, coaches, and fans. There are sacrifices that rarely appear in photographs, but which constitute the true structure on which a club is sustained.
And Tao knows a lot about that.
92 years of history
To speak of the Tao Wrestling Club is to speak of a history that dates back to 1934, when the club was born concurrently with the consolidation of the associative and cultural life of the town of Tao, closely linked to the Sociedad El Fomento.
Among those first men who helped lay the foundations of this institution appears the name of Francisco Manuel Aparicio Bonilla, one of the figures linked to its founding core.
Since then, 92 years of struggles, victories and defeats, joys and also difficult moments have passed. Ninety-two years in which several generations have found in Lucha Canaria much more than a sport.
They have found identity.
They have found companionship.
They have found a way of understanding life.
And, above all, they have found a place where elders can pass on to the young what is not written in any rulebook: respect for the opponent, the value of effort, and the pride of belonging to a people and a tradition.
The "Pollo de Tao", always present.
The memory of the man who gives his name to the arena could not be absent on a night like this: Andrés Curbelo de León, popularly known in the world of Lucha Canaria as the "Pollo de Tao".
His name remains forever linked to the history of the club and of wrestling in Lanzarote. He was one of those historical wrestlers whose figure ended up becoming a symbol of an era and a reference for subsequent generations.
That is why, every time the door of this arena opens and the sand once again receives the wrestlers, in a way, the memory of the Pollo de Tao also returns.
Because the names that are part of a people's history do not disappear. They transform into memory.
And memory, in Tao, continues to fight.
José Luis Aparicio Morales: a life dedicated to Tao.
But if there was one name that was especially present during the day, it was that of José Luis Aparicio Morales, one of those people who not only become part of a club's history but also become part of its very soul.
Son of one of the founders of the Club de Lucha Tao, José Luis dedicated practically his entire life to the club. His dedication and management skills led many to call him a "Great Manager of Lucha Canaria".
His career was marked by a word that perhaps defines his relationship with Tao better than any other: dedication.
Dedication to the club, to its wrestlers, to its teammates, and to Lucha Canaria itself.
That is why his memory remains alive and why, for another season, his name once again occupied a central place with the celebration of the "IV Memorial José Luis Aparicio Morales".
Francisco Díaz Torres, the man who continues the path.
At the head of this sports family is its current president, Francisco Díaz Torres, who has been linked to the Club de Lucha Tao since 1986, when he began his first stint as a wrestler.
Today, a decade later, he remains linked to the club and has already accumulated 20 years serving as president.
Twenty years in which, together with his colleagues on the Board of Directors, he has worked tirelessly to keep Tao moving forward.
It is not difficult to imagine what it means to maintain a sports and social project of these characteristics for so long. Behind the results, the trophies, and the photographs of the champions, there is daily work, often silent, that only those who live the club from the inside know.
And that work has a lot to do with passion.
The commitment of the institutions.
The presentation also had the institutional support of the Teguise City Council.
Its mayor, Olivia Duque, addressed those present and, in a special way, the directors and wrestlers, encouraging them to continue with the work they have been doing and congratulating them on the titles achieved.
The mayor also conveyed the commitment of the Teguise City Council to continue supporting this sports mission and the work carried out by the club.
On behalf of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, the Minister of Social Welfare, Marciano Acuña, was present, accompanying the club on such a special day.
The emotion of a president.
Francisco Díaz Torres closed the round of speeches.
And it was probably one of the most emotional moments of the night.
Visibly moved, the president wanted to make a call and, at the same time, express his gratitude to the Teguise City Council, his board colleagues, the wrestlers, family, and fans.
Because Francisco knows well that no club can walk alone.
And because behind these 105 wrestlers there is a whole family.
A family that knows that keeping Tao alive means keeping alive a part of the sports and cultural history of Teguise.
And it was time to fight.
But the final chapter of a night that had already been full of memories was yet to be lived.
After the presentation came the moment for the sand to speak.
The IV Memorial José Luis Aparicio Morales pitted the Tao - Cicar - Orly Club against the Unión Tijarafe Guanche Wrestling Club from Tenerife.
And then the emotion of the presentation gave way to the emotion of the fight.
It was a great fight. One of those days when the fans enjoy, cheer, suffer, and celebrate every grapple. Two teams facing each other, dedicated wrestlers, and a crowd living every moment.
La Lucha Canaria once again demonstrated that its greatness is not solely in knocking down the opponent.
It is also in shaking hands after the fight.
In respecting the adversary.
In sharing the arena.
In knowing how to win and knowing how to lose.
In understanding that today's teammate can be tomorrow's rival, but that both are part of the same family.
12 - 11: Tao takes the Memorial.
And after an intense night, with many grips and an equality that maintained the excitement until the end, the definitive result arrived.
Club de Lucha Tao - 12
Club de Lucha Unión Tijarafe Guanche de Tenerife - 11
A result that gave victory to the local team and allowed fans to celebrate the triumph on a particularly significant night.
The family members of José Luis Aparicio Morales were in charge of presenting the trophy to the champions.
And perhaps it was then that all the stories of that night ended up meeting.
The history of the club
The history of the Pollo de Tao.
The history of José Luis.
The history of its founders.
The history of the veteran wrestlers.
And the history of the children and young people who, with a handful of sand in their hands, had just been presented as new protagonists of the future.
The celebration ended up becoming a real party.
But if one had to look for a winner that was above the score, above the trophies, and above any result, there would only be one: La Lucha Canaria.
Because when a people preserves its traditions, when the elders pass on to the young what they learned from their elders, and when a club with 92 years of history continues to fill its arena with children, young people, and adults, then we are not just facing a season presentation.
We are facing a story that continues.
And as long as that blonde sand exists in the "Andrés Curbelo - Pollo de Tao" arena, as long as there is a wrestling shirt, two wrestlers who shake hands, and a fanbase willing to fill the stands, the spirit of Tao will remain alive.
Because 92 years later, Club de Lucha Tao not only preserves its history: it continues to write it.
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