- The fair, which will be free to attend, will offer visitors a comprehensive program of high-level tournaments and exhibitions and opportunities to practice a wide variety of sports.
ExpoDeca 2024 is revving up less than a month before its launch. The I Congress and Fair of Physical Activity and Sports in the Canary Islands, which will be held at Infecar from November 14 to 17, will become the first central regional forum for the sector in the Canary Islands. This is a meeting where institutions, companies, brands, and experts will share their knowledge, products, and services. Attendees will enjoy an extensive agenda that allows them to practice different sports and watch high-level exhibitions and tournaments at the fairgrounds.
ExpoDeca 2024 is promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands through the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity, and Sports and organized by Infecar Feria de Gran Canaria. Admission to ExpoDeca 2024 will be free, and interested attendees can reserve their spot on the event’s official website, expodeca.es.
A celebration of sports
Indeed, ExpoDeca will become a significant sporting celebration in the Canary Islands. The schedule of activities includes both outdoor and indoor zones. Attendees can actively join in and practice or play the various disciplines offered at this large sports event at the Gran Canaria fairgrounds on a first-come, first-served basis.
Outdoors, there will be space for football and a section dedicated to basketball, volleyball, and paddle tennis. The latter deserves special mention with the celebration of the Challenger Kia of Club El Drago and the IV Canary Islands Minor Teams Cup.
Sports such as archery and Canary Islands’ bowling will be featured in a separate outdoor area. Meanwhile, spaces for climbing and other native sports, such as Canarian wrestling and the Canarian staff (garrote), will be set up in the annexe to Pavilion 7. These traditional sports will have a strong presence at the fair. The Canarian Latin sailing will also be in the nautical exhibition planned for the fair.
In this annexe, the Canary Islands Tennis Federation will introduce pickleball, an emerging racket sport that has gained great popularity internationally in recent times. What better way to discover this new sport than by playing it?
Finally, OCR or obstacle course races will offer attendees yet another way to enjoy physical activity at ExpoDeca.
As for indoor areas, Pavilion 5 will be entirely dedicated to Sports and Health, with fitness playing a major role. It will share space with a large commercial exhibition focused on this activity.
This pavilion will feature modular stands and floor exhibits where the most important sports companies and centers in the Canary Islands, with a presence on different islands, as well as other medium and small operators, can showcase their services and capabilities. A main stage will also be set up, with a full schedule of activities including step, aeroboxing, body combat, Zumba, Latin dance, yoga, Pilates, and hypopressive exercises—activities for all audiences, including children, seniors, and pregnant women.
ExpoDeca will also showcase its Cubofit, the first mobile and outdoor gym in Spain: a container transformed into a portable gym equipped with sports gear both inside and on its structure.
In this context, the fair will host the Gran Canaria Crow Challenge on November 16 and 17. This major event in the fitness and cross-training world features top specialists from Spain and other countries. Following a demanding preliminary phase, the organizers of this competition expect around 200 finalist athletes to be present at Infecar.
Meanwhile, Pavilion 6 will house spaces dedicated to fencing, gymnastics, and martial arts, along with a commercial exhibition of brands and services related to these disciplines.
ExpoDeca will also offer a children’s play area, a family-friendly space designed for young visitors. Traditional games will be significant in this special area of the fair, located in Pavilion 7.
The federations, motorsport, and Olympic history
It’s worth noting that the various sports federations are directly involved in organizing these open days for attendees, inviting them to practice the different disciplines on-site (with the option of instructors or guides) and planning the exhibitions in their assigned areas.
ExpoDeca will also set up a motor exhibition area in one of Infecar’s main plazas. The fair has already supported the Canarian rally champion Juan Carlos Quintana, who has proudly displayed the colors of the I Congress and Fair of Physical Activity and Sports in the Canary Islands during his national circuit appearances.
The history of sports in the Canary Islands is also linked to the accomplishments of its top athletes in the Olympic Games. For instance, 23 Canarian athletes participated in the last Games in Paris, further showcasing the archipelago’s talent across various disciplines.
ExpoDeca will present the exhibition “Canarians in the Olympian Heights,” where visitors can relive the history of Canarian athletes at the world’s most important sporting event.
An event for experts and companies
Professionals, teachers, and experts have an important date at ExpoDeca 2024, where they can share knowledge and update their perspectives on the sector in the Canary Islands. This is an increasingly important economic segment for the islands, which have about 2,500 companies linked to sports and employ 20,000 workers.
The Canary Islands also register an annual expenditure of 188.6 million euros on goods and services related to sports activities. The region is close to 200,000 sports licenses, with a total of 3,655 registered clubs. In this context, ExpoDeca becomes an essential forum for specialists in the sector, with a mission to continue promoting its development in the future.
And it’s not just about economic change. Sports also play a crucial role in the social fabric of the Canary Islands, contributing to the island’s identity and encouraging a growing audience to adopt healthy lifestyle habits.
ExpoDeca’s agenda includes the development of the VIII Congress of the Canary Islands Association of Sports Management Professionals (ACAGEDE) on November 14 and 15. This event brings together professionals from the sports sector in the Canary Islands, with participation from various CEOs of companies in the field, as well as specialists, experts, and high-level public administrators, including key decision-makers in sports management in the Canary Islands.
The speakers and participants in the discussions will also represent national organizations with considerable influence. This congress’s content will be divided into three main themes: Sports and Tourism, Sports and Health, and Sports and Regular Practice.
ExpoDeca will host a wide range of companies and brands that manage sports spaces and market equipment and products for different sports. The top brands in the archipelago began confirming their presence at Infecar weeks ago. Their stands will be another major draw for the audience, showcasing a variety of products, sportswear, footwear, and other accessories.
The Spanish Paralympic Committee will not miss the November event and will be prominent at ExpoDeca, carrying out outreach activities during the fair. This is in line with the significant impact that Paralympic Sports have demonstrated nationwide, both competitively and socially.