The Cabildo of Lanzarote announced this Wednesday that the XXVI edition of the Ironman in Lanzarote will enter Arrecife, passing through a good part of the city's seafront and reaching the emblematic Charco de San Ginés. Another novelty that the Corporation has revealed during the presentation of the sports event has been the celebration of the 'I Ironman Lanzarote Fair', which will take place in Puerto del Carmen from May 18 to 20.
This sports fair will have numerous stands, among which will be the one installed by Turismo Lanzarote through the 'European Sports Destination' seal, which "will promote the different events that are held on the island throughout the year", according to the Island Council.
The Ironman, which will be held on May 20, is organized by Club La Santa and the Corporation. The international event is also sponsored by the Government of the Canary Islands through the public company Promotur, Turismo Lanzarote 'European Sports Destination', Ayuntamiento de Tías and other private entities.
"It has become a benchmark event"
The president of the first Island Corporation, Pedro San Ginés, has thanked "the work of the hundreds of people who participate in the organization of the event, from the volunteers and staff of Club La Santa and the Cabildo, to the members of the Local Police and Civil Protection of the City Councils and the State Security Forces". Likewise, the president has made a special mention to the Government Delegate in the Canary Islands, Mercedes Roldós, "who reacted diligently to the call made from the Cabildo to guarantee the celebration of the event in the face of problems that had arisen related to traffic", as well as "to the Civil Guard, which, in its interest that the event affects the population as little as possible, will keep the largest possible number of roads open to vehicle traffic, even if only in one lane".
San Ginés added that the Ironman Lanzarote "has become a benchmark event for one of the great strategic axes of tourist promotion of the island undertaken by the Cabildo, such as its link as a destination to sports practice". The president of the Cabildo has also pointed out that this event will continue to be linked to Lanzarote in the future "because neither the island institutions nor the brand itself want this event to leave the island, taking into account how difficult it is and the effort it takes to consolidate a brand as has happened over the years with the Ironman Lanzarote".
For her part, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, María Teresa Lorenzo, highlighted the "interest and effort of the regional Executive, within its firm commitment to the sports tourism segment", to guarantee the celebration of the Ironman on the island, as it constitutes, according to her, "one of the most prestigious sporting events in the Archipelago", and offer, for this reason, "an added and differentiating value of Lanzarote and the Canary Islands as a destination".
Nearly 1,600 triathletes registered
On the other hand, the Minister recalled the recent creation of the promotional platform of the Canary Islands as a sports training destination, 'Training Non Stop', aimed especially at elite athletes and which has the participation of 400 companies dedicated to high-performance sports, as well as specialized accommodation. This is part, according to Lorenzo, of "the policy followed by the Ministry to reinforce other attributes that the Archipelago has apart from its climate, such as the number of international prestigious sporting events it hosts and which attract numerous professionals and tourists".
The presentation ceremony was also attended by the Councilor for Sports of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Patricia Pérez, who, after joining in the gratitude to all the people who will make the celebration of the Ironman Lanzarote possible, also mentioned as a novelty "the training that the auxiliary volunteers have received in terms of safety", through a joint initiative of the Cabildo, Club La Santa, Club Santa Rosa and Sands Beach Resort". This training, she added, "will also be useful for other sporting events that are organized on the island in the future".
Also present were the director of the event, Kenneth Gasque, who encouraged the population to support the nearly 1,600 registered triathletes "in the oldest Ironman in Europe and which will attract between 6,000 and 7,000 companions of the participants"; as well as the Councilor responsible for the Tourism Area of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Echedey Eugenio.