Noticias del Gobierno de Canarias: Evento histórico en Madrid con la lucha canaria

● The day will start with the traditional Romería at 12:00, while the sports event will take place at 17:00

● Among the parallel activities, exhibitions of Canarian stick fighting stand out

The events of the Month of the Canaries will move this Saturday, May 17, to Madrid with a historic appointment. For the first time, Callao Square will be transformed into a wrestling arena to host an official day of the DISA Government of the Canaries Tournament of First Category male that will face the clubs Saladar de Jandía from Fuerteventura and Candelaria de Mirca from La Palma. The meeting will be presided over by the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, at 16:40, and will be attended by the Minister of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity, and Sports, Poli Suárez, the spokesperson of the regional Government, Alfonso Cabello, the Deputy Minister of Physical Activity and Sports, Ángel Sabroso, and the Director General of Indigenous Sports, Lorena Hernández.

Organized by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity, and Sports of the Government of the Canaries with the support of Tourism of the Canary Islands, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food Sovereignty, through Volcanic Experience and the Canarian Wrestling Federation, as well as with the collaboration of the companies Binter, Clipper, and DISA, the latter as the official sponsor of the competition, this wrestling match is part of the programming of the Month of the Canaries, under the motto ‘Pride of Who We Are’, and represents a milestone in the external projection of the traditional sports of the Archipelago. The competition, corresponding to the twentieth and penultimate day of the tournament, will take place at 17:00 (peninsular time) and will be free access until full capacity is reached.

For this purpose, a wrestling arena specially designed for the occasion has been installed, with a portable grandstand with a capacity for around two hundred people. As a nod to La Palma, the sand of the arena comes from the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano in 2021, specially adapted for this event.

VIII Canarian Romería and other activities

The event will coincide with the VIII Canarian Romería, promoted by the Casa de Canarias in Madrid, which will begin that same morning with an institutional act at the Cathedral of the Redeemer and will be attended by the spokesperson of the Government of the Canaries, Alfonso Cabello. At 12:30, the parade through the streets of the capital will begin to symbolize the pride and brotherhood of Canarian people who reside outside the Archipelago and those who will travel from the islands for the occasion.

In addition to the wrestling match, various parallel activities will take place in the morning, such as exhibitions of Canarian stick fighting to promote awareness of indigenous sports among the Madrid public and visitors.

The logistical deployment has been made possible thanks to the support of the airline Binter, responsible for the transfer of the teams, as well as the collaboration of Promotur Tourism of the Canaries, GMR through its brand Volcanic Experience, the DISA Foundation, and the Canarian company Clipper. The day will culminate in a private party with musical performances by Canarian artists such as Pepe Benavente, and an exhibition by the artist Ciro Miró dedicated to Canarian wrestling.

The Month of the Canaries, a month to celebrate our identity

The idea of celebrating the Month of the Canaries, instead of just one day, arises to make visible the cultural, heritage, and social diversity over several weeks. It is an opportunity for knowledge and appreciation of the culture of the Islands to reach every corner of the Archipelago and even transcend borders.

This is the second consecutive year in which the Day of the Canaries is celebrated throughout the month. On this occasion, the programming includes more than 75 activities on all the islands, under the motto ‘Pride of Who We Are’.

The programming of the Month of the Canaries can be consulted on the website of the Government of the Canaries, as well as on the social networks of the Government Presidency and the areas that organize each activity.