• The exhibition, inaugurated this Thursday, brings together items linked to major figures in Spanish and international sport and can be visited free of charge until 15 November.

With one week to go until the opening of ExpoDeca 2026, the third Canary Islands Physical Activity and Sports Fair has already begun to build momentum with the inauguration this Thursday of the Legends of Sport exhibition. The opening was attended by the Canary Islands Government’s Regional Minister for Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports, Poli Suárez; the Deputy Regional Minister for Physical Activity and Sports, Ángel Sabroso; the Director General of Infecar, Feria de Gran Canaria, Natalia Santana; and the General Manager of Las Arenas Shopping Centre, Francisco Ramírez.

Produced by the Museo del Deporte Association, the exhibition brings together around 200 original items linked to some of the greatest milestones in Spanish and international sport. Among them are the boots worn by Andrés Iniesta when he scored the goal that gave Spain the 2010 FIFA World Cup title, and the shoes worn by Usain Bolt at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The exhibition forms part of the programme for ExpoDeca 2026, the third edition of the Canary Islands Physical Activity and Sports Fair, which will take place from 12 to 15 November around Plaza de la Música in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Open to the public until 15 November, the exhibition is complemented by two further displays: one dedicated to traditional Canarian games and sports, offering visitors the chance to discover some of the disciplines that form part of the islands’ sporting and cultural heritage, and another featuring classic rally cars, organised in collaboration with the Gran Canaria Automobile Museum.

The Canary Islands Government’s Regional Minister for Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports, Poli Suárez, thanked Las Arenas Shopping Centre for “its willingness and collaboration in hosting this exhibition, which is already helping us to feel the atmosphere of ExpoDeca in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria”.

Suárez added that the initiative represents “a unique opportunity to bring the history and major figures of our sport closer to the public, completely free of charge, through an exhibition that allows us to remember their achievements and recognise the legacy they have left behind”.

He also stressed that “we want ExpoDeca to be much more than a sports fair, and to help inspire enthusiasm for sport among people of all ages”.

Sporting history

Among the most notable items in Legends of Sport are three Olympic torches that have passed through Spain over the history of the Games: those from Mexico 1968, Barcelona 1992 and Athens 2004.

Visitors will also be able to see a Banesto team jersey worn by Miguel Induráin, sporting equipment used by brothers Pau and Marc Gasol, the boots and ball from Andrés Iniesta’s historic goal, tennis equipment belonging to Rafa Nadal and Manolo Santana, and items associated with golfers José María Olazábal, Sergio García and Severiano Ballesteros.

The exhibition also includes the commemorative shirt from Spain’s historic 12–1 victory over Malta in 1983, a result that enabled the national team to qualify for the 1984 European Championship, where Spain finished as runners-up.

There will also be items used by Vero Boquete, former captain of the Spanish national team and the first Spanish female footballer to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or, as well as material belonging to other leading figures in women’s sport, including Carolina Marín and María Pérez.

Athletics also features prominently, with material linked to athletes such as Ruth Beitia, Sandra Myers, Jesús García Bragado, Fermín Cacho and Javier Moracho.

These are joined by the original shoes worn by world record holders Mike Powell and Javier Sotomayor, together with a representation of the actual distances and heights of their long jump and high jump world records, respectively.

The shirt worn by Eliud Kipchoge when he set the marathon world record in Berlin in 2022 will also be on display.

Motorsport will be represented by equipment belonging to Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Marc Gené, Toni Bou and Ángel Nieto, as well as the 125cc Aprilia ridden by Jorge Martínez Aspar, a two-time world champion in 1988.

International icons

The international section brings together items linked to some of the world’s leading sporting figures.

In football, visitors will be able to see boots and shirts belonging to stars such as Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar Jr. and Erling Haaland, while basketball will be represented by NBA legends including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

The exhibition also includes sporting equipment used by tennis players Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz, as well as the shoes worn by Usain Bolt when he won gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Among the most striking exhibits is a 2017 Ferrari Formula 1 car driven by Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, alongside a selection of items used by Italian motorcycle racing legend Valentino Rossi.

The visit is rounded off with photographic material, audiovisual content and audio guides accessible via QR codes, featuring narration by some of the best-known voices in Spanish sports journalism, including José María García, María Escario, José Ramón de la Morena, Paloma del Río and Antonio Lobato.

Tradition and motorsport

ExpoDeca’s exhibition programme at Las Arenas Shopping Centre is completed by two further spaces that broaden the journey through different expressions of sporting culture.

One is dedicated to traditional Canarian games and sports, offering visitors the opportunity to discover some of the practices that form part of the islands’ identity and cultural heritage.

Motorsport fans will also be able to enjoy an exhibition of classic rally cars, organised in collaboration with the Gran Canaria Automobile Museum. The selection offers a journey through part of the history of motorsport and a closer look at models that have defined different eras of competition.

Gold sponsor

As a Gold Sponsor of ExpoDeca 2026, Las Arenas Shopping Centre extends the reach of the fair by becoming the venue for this exhibition with national and international appeal.

The collaboration agreement also includes free admission to the exhibition, helping to extend ExpoDeca’s programme into one of the city’s busiest public spaces.

The Canary Islands Physical Activity and Sports Fair will hold its main programme from 12 to 15 November around Plaza de la Música and the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, with more than 400 activities, around 50 sporting disciplines, talks and an exhibition area.

The addition of these three spaces at Las Arenas broadens the fair’s programme and brings the history of Spanish and international sport, Canarian sporting heritage and motorsport culture closer to the public.