Oswaldo Betancort met last Tuesday at the headquarters of the island government, accompanied by the Minister of Sports of the institution, Juan Monzón, with representatives of the Island Federation and the Canarian wrestling clubs of the Island.
From that meeting came the "economic commitment of the president of the Cabildo to strengthen the agreement with the Island Federation of Canarian Wrestling and the municipal clubs", which will mean, from the outset, "the increase in the subsidy received by this sport, which will go from 69,000 to 200,000 euros per year". The increase in the financial support for Canarian wrestling will be co-financed by the Government of the Canary Islands and will allow increasing from 2 to 5 the number of monitors of this sport so that wrestling is taught in all schools and institutes of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, and also invest in its dissemination and promotion.
"The survival of Canarian wrestling depends on teaching it to new generations, as well as promoting and supporting the grassroots," said Betancort. "I have also conveyed the firm will to fulfill my commitment to recover the wrestling ground of Arrecife with sand, something that will be done sooner rather than later," said the president, thanking "the will and unity of all clubs" to "restore dignity to the Heraclio Niz wrestling ground of Arrecife", and congratulating the Federation's initiative to form a women's wrestling team.
"The survival of Canarian wrestling depends on teaching it to new generations, as well as promoting and supporting the grassroots"
Juan Monzón, for his part, valued "positively" this first contact with the vernacular sport on the Island and advocated for "a continuous dialogue with the clubs and the federation". "In no way are we going to act arbitrarily or unilaterally, since all the steps we take in sports management and infrastructure will be agreed upon with the entities that promote sports culture on the Island," he said.
The meeting was also attended by the president of the Island Federation, Sebastián Lemes, who took up "the gauntlet of the increase in the subsidy", in addition to thanking the "interest that the Cabildo is showing in Canarian Wrestling". In this regard, he was pleased that "our vernacular sport can return to all schools and institutes on the Island and that its continuity is being bet on."
On the other hand, the president of the 'Club de Lucha Tao', Francisco Díaz, representing the municipal clubs, expressed his gratitude for "the Cabildo's support for Canarian wrestling" and added that "it is necessary to return the Arrecife wrestling ground to its origins, in order to train the grassroots with the aim of having a senior team". Cabildo de Lanzarote, federation and clubs agree on the "need to centralize Canarian wrestling" of Arrecife in the Sports City, boosting this facility with the "hiring of new monitors and increasing the activity and the quarry" of this traditional sport.
