During the Gala, the best athletes of the year 2005 were awarded, with the event being presided over by the national president of sports journalists, Mari Carmen Izquierdo; the general director of Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, José Manuel Betancort; the sports councilor of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council, Ángel López; the sports councilor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, José Miguel Álamo; the sports councilor of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council, Miguel Concepción; and the presidents of the Associations of Sports Journalists of Las Palmas and Tenerife, José Manuel Suárez (T.V.E.) and Norberto Chijeb (Diario Avisos), respectively.
The event was presented by the colleague and treasurer of the A.P.D.L.P., Víctor Melián (Onda Cero). The ballet of the Gran Casino of the Hotel Costa Meloneras was in charge of enlivening the night with beautiful stagings of various choreographies that were highly applauded by the attendees.
The first intervention was by the provincial president José Manuel Suárez (T.V.E.), who thanked the national president Mari Carmen Izquierdo (T.V.E.) for her effort to be at the event, in addition to congratulating the winners and those who were not, because Canarian sport improves its achievements every year. He also thanked the different collaborations received by the A.P.D.L.P. for the organization of the XI Sports Gala.
The awards ceremony began with the sports councilor of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council, Ángel López, who presented the Human Values award "Fernando Díaz Cutillas Trophy" to the Las Palmas Swimming Club, founded in 1989, for its work with young disabled people in an initiative of integration, of valuing the person and of self-esteem for these athletes who seek their social consideration and personal improvement through swimming, as they have demonstrated in the various competitions in which they participate and which has had its maximum reflection in the successes achieved in the last three Paralympics. The award was collected by the president of the Las Palmas Swimming Club, José Luis Romero.
The XI Sports Gala of the A.P.D.L.P. became a tribute to swimming, since the second award to distinguish the Sports Legend "Félix Urquijo Trophy" was for Manuel Guerra Pérez, the first Canarian swimmer to take part in an Olympics, which he did at the age of 20 in 1948 in those held in London. The award was presented by José Manuel Álamo, sports councilor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, and collected by the award winner Manuel Guerra Pérez.
The "Antonio Lemus del Moral" award for Research went to the Arbitration Studies Center of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which for many years has marked a historical milestone in research in the arbitration field by creating a study center for sports arbitration, of which the prestigious former basketball referee Miguel Ángel Betancort León "Miguelo", who was an international for 20 years, is the maximum responsible. The vice-rector of the U.L.P.G.C., Dolores Cabrera, received the award from the sports councilor of the Las Palmas City Council, Miguel Concepción.
The award for the Collective Female Sports Achievement went to Proconte Telde, runner-up in the Copa de la Reina. The general director of Sports of the Canarian Government, José Manuel Betancort, presented it to its president and captain Margot.
The Gran Canaria Basketball Club was awarded the prize for the Collective Male Sports Achievement, a club that with one of the lowest budgets in the ACB League has not gone unnoticed by anyone, and of course not by the Association of Sports Journalists of Las Palmas. The award was collected by its president Lisandro Hernández from a basketball legend like Domingo Díaz.
After a break with futsal and basketball, the awards ceremony resumed with swimming sports, it was the award for the Male Individual Achievement that went to the blind swimmer Enhamed Mohamed Yandih, who started in the world of swimming during his stay in a boarding school of the ONCE in Madrid, joining the Las Palmas Swimming Club in 2001 where he has trained as one of the current national stars of swimming for the blind. Enhamed Mohamed himself collected the award from Tomás Estévez, marketing director of Coca Cola.
The jumper from the Metropol Swimming Club, Leyre Eizaguirre, sixth in the world in the Rome Grand Prix, won the award for the Female Individual Achievement. The award was collected by Luis Hernández on behalf of the BMW dealer, Vemotor.
One of the most grandiose shows that the Canarian sports calendar includes could not be oblivious to the eyes of the A.P.D.L.P, therefore a special mention was granted to the Windsurfing World Championship that is held every year in the municipality of Pájara, Fuerteventura. The award was presented by Álvaro Espina, marketing director of Tropical, and collected by the sports councilor of the Pájara City Council, Guillermo Concepción.
Another of the special mentions of the A.P.D.L.P. was the one that traveled to Lanzarote, and that drew the greatest applause from the attendees, distinguishing the master of the Conejero Stick, Cristin Feo de León, who sadly passed away 4 days before the celebration of the Gala. By express wish of his family, the award was collected by Jesús Lasso, head of Sports of Radio Lanzarote and La Voz de Lanzarote, the same was presented by Norberto Chijeb, president of the Association of Sports Journalists of Tenerife (Diario Avisos).
There were two special mentions left to deliver, but the performances of the Ballet of the Gran Casino of the Hotel Costa Meloneras that were interspersed with the delivery of the awards, made the public remain expectant in the room.
The following special mention distinguished the work done by the judge, Juan José Cobo Planas, in pursuit of the salvation of the UD. Las Palmas. The award winner did not want to be present as he considered that he was limited to fulfilling his work. Therefore, it was the president of the UD. Las Palmas, Miguel Ángel Ramírez who collected it in his name, the same was delivered by Manuel Marrero, director of external relations of El Corte Inglés.
The delivery of awards and special mentions came with a recognition of the work done for 25 years by Tomás Alcántara, a lover of Futsal who from his position as vice president of the Football Federation of Las Palmas has dedicated part of his life to promoting this sport. The award was presented by the national president of sports journalists, Mari Carmen Izquierdo (T.V.E.).
It would be Izquierdo herself who closed the XI edition of the Sports Gala of the A.P.D.L.P., which will undoubtedly only be a see you later, because the twelfth edition is already underway.
The A.P.D.L.P. presented its new image designed by the colleague Carlos Domínguez, a modern logo that was given to the attendees in a beautiful gold-plated badge. The same idea was used to make the different trophies that were awarded throughout the night.
The XI Sports Gala was supported by the Casino del Gran Hotel Costa Meloneras, the Hotel Dunas Vital Suite of the Dunas Group, the General Directorate of Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, Vemotor BMW, Tropical, Litografía González, Club La Cornisa, Coca Cola, Seguridad Integral Canaria, Johnie Walker, Seven Up, Hotel Santa Catalina, Kia Motor, Maspalomas Costa Canaria, La Caja de Canarias, Playas de Jandía - Fuerteventura, Umbro, Hotel Gloria Palace and El Corte Inglés.
