<\/p>\n
ExpoDeca 2026 experienced a Saturday marked by strong public participation in its sporting activities and by the interest generated by the conferences, congresses and talks held at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium.<\/p>\n
Health, inclusion, the social impact of sport, and the international and environmental impact of major competitions were among the main themes addressed during the third edition of the Canary Islands Physical Activity and Sports Fair, which continues to take place around Plaza de la M\u00fasica in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.<\/p>\n
Nearly one thousand attendees at the educational programme<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the standout features of ExpoDeca 2026 is its programme of congresses, conferences, talks and presentations, distributed across the Speaker\u2019s Corner, Sala Alegranza and the Canary Islands Government area at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium.<\/p>\n Among the most important events was the national congress organised by the Spanish Federation of Sports Management Associations (FAGDE), held on 12 and 13 November and attended by 140 people.<\/p>\n This figure is joined by another 810 participants registered across almost forty additional sessions, bringing the total number of people who have attended the educational programme to around one thousand in just over two days of the fair.<\/p>\n The sessions have covered a wide range of issues linked to the sports sector, including sports management, health, competition organisation, public-private collaboration, event funding, inclusion and equality.<\/p>\n Activ\u00eddate: nearly one thousand users referred in one year<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the morning sessions at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium focused on the present and future of the Canary Islands physical activity for health system, as part of the Activ\u00eddate project.<\/p>\n Activ\u00eddate is a public, universal and free service promoted by the Canary Islands Government through the Regional Ministries of Health and of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports.<\/p>\n Launched in September 2025, the initiative allows primary care doctors within the Canary Islands Health Service to prescribe physical activity and refer patients to Active Physical Exercise Units.<\/p>\n There, physical education and sports professionals design and supervise training plans adapted to the specific needs of each person. The entire process is free of charge and supported by a digital monitoring system.<\/p>\n \u201cWe came to ExpoDeca to present the work we are currently carrying out and our future strategy,\u201d said Noem\u00ed Rodr\u00edguez, Director of Activ\u00eddate, who confirmed that \u201cwe already have almost one thousand users referred from the healthcare system to the sports system\u201d.<\/p>\n One of the programme\u2019s objectives is to ensure that every municipality in the Canary Islands, with the participation of the island councils, has its own physical activity and exercise unit.<\/p>\n Rodr\u00edguez explained that the project will continue to expand so that users can practise sport in the way recommended to them within their own municipality and later return to the unit to assess their progress.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that within no more than six months, a person could become fully engaged in sport and continue independently, which is what we are aiming for,\u201d she said. \u201cBut this needs to be extended to every municipality in the Canary Islands: everyone in the islands has the right to access this service.\u201d<\/p>\n The Alfredo Kraus Auditorium also hosted the Sport and Disability forum, promoted by Fundaci\u00f3n DISA and featuring the Spanish Paralympic Committee, which has taken part in ExpoDeca since its first edition in 2024.<\/p>\n The event has become one of the established highlights of the fair\u2019s programme.<\/p>\n The sporting experience of a world champion<\/strong><\/p>\n Another eagerly anticipated session took place in Sala Alegranza, where \u00c1ngel Merino and Maite Zaz\u00f3n, parents of Spanish international footballer Mikel Merino, shared with the audience their memories and experiences of managing their son\u2019s sporting career as a family.<\/p>\n \u00c1ngel Merino, a former professional footballer who played for UD Las Palmas among other clubs, reflected on how \u201cyou do not realise how important your past is until the present arrives and you see what you have achieved\u201d.<\/p>\n He also spoke about his son\u2019s time in the German and English leagues, a period which, despite the difficulties, helped him to develop resilience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt helped him develop that resilience people talk about now – the ability to accept negative situations in your work. Despite how bad everything seemed, he was able to take something positive from it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can take something positive from every experience in life,\u201d he added. \u201cThe beginnings were difficult, but today I am sure he realises how much they helped him.\u201d<\/p>\n The international impact of Rally Islas Canarias and Transgrancanaria<\/p>\n The economic, social and tourism impact of major sporting events also featured prominently at ExpoDeca.<\/p>\n Rally Islas Canarias took centre stage with the presentation Canary Islands on the world motorsport map: Present and future of Rally Islas Canarias, Rally de Espa\u00f1a, held at the Speaker\u2019s Corner in the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium.<\/p>\n The Gran Canaria event, with fifty years of history and now part of the World Rally Championship, presented figures on its accumulated impact and media reach in 2026 compared with 2025, during its second year in the world championship, with a contract currently in place until 2031.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to communicate and analyse how a sporting event of this level stimulates the economy, society and tourism,\u201d said rally director Pepo Batista.<\/p>\n He stated that the direct economic impact generated in Gran Canaria now exceeds \u20ac69 million, with attendance of around 540,000 people. In addition, the media exposure generated for sponsors exceeds \u20ac93 million.<\/p>\n Batista also highlighted the fact that the championship is broadcast live around the world, further increasing its international reach.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are the sporting event in the Canary Islands with the greatest international impact in terms of promoting the image of the archipelago, and Gran Canaria in particular, so every euro invested generates a very high return,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also praised ExpoDeca, describing it as \u201can exceptional idea that should be replicated nationally in Spain\u2019s different autonomous communities\u201d.<\/p>\n He highlighted the fair as a major showcase and said that, for an event such as Rally Islas Canarias, it is essential \u201cto work hand in hand with institutions and to be present at the region\u2019s most important event for the sector\u201d.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, The North Face Transgrancanaria presented its event sustainability assessment report in the Canary Islands Government area, focusing on monitoring the race\u2019s carbon footprint and environmental impact.<\/p>\n In its 2026 edition, The North Face Transgrancanaria became the first sporting event to calculate its carbon footprint in accordance with the Canary Islands Carbon Footprint Register, a tool developed by the Canary Islands Government\u2019s Regional Ministry for Ecological Transition and Energy.<\/p>\n The system estimates greenhouse gas emissions using official factors adapted to the specific circumstances of the archipelago.<\/p>\n This process also enabled the event to obtain the Canary Islands Gold Sustainable Sports Event certification.<\/p>\n The mountain race has taken part as a pilot project in the events section of the register, taking another step forward in its commitment to sustainability and setting a precedent for other sporting competitions in the Canary Islands.<\/p>\n Agility: fun for handlers and dogs<\/strong><\/p>\n The Manuel Naranjo Sosa football pitches have hosted a range of sporting disciplines during ExpoDeca, including rugby, baseball and softball, as well as agility demonstrations.<\/p>\n In agility, handlers compete alongside their dogs on obstacle courses that require a high level of coordination and technical skill.<\/p>\n Club Deportivo Sigue Hop Gran Canaria organised a theoretical and practical seminar to introduce the discipline and explain how the competitions work, including demonstrations of the different obstacles used on the courses.<\/p>\n Salvador Silva, a club member and national judge -the only person appointed in the Canary Islands by the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation- was one of the people involved in the activity.<\/p>\n From beside the course, he explained that agility is \u201ca very attractive, technical and quite complex sport\u201d, and that the main purpose of the event was to bring it closer to the public.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a way, we move away from the formal structure of a competition so that we can explain absolutely everything that is happening,\u201d Silva said.<\/p>\n During the demonstrations, the technical aspects of each obstacle were explained, along with the way handlers communicate with their dogs, not only verbally but also through the movement of their arms, legs and shoulders.<\/p>\n The explanation was designed to help spectators understand what is happening on the course and appreciate the teamwork involved.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a fantastic time. They do not know whether they win or lose; they are simply eager to get onto the course and interact with their handler. A dog that practises agility is mentally and physically healthy,\u201d the judge said.<\/p>\n Ten elite pairs in the padel tournament<\/strong><\/p>\n The Canary Islands Padel Federation has once again played a prominent role at ExpoDeca, where it has installed a court since the first edition so that visitors can discover and try the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, it is a privilege to be part of this sports fair. We have been here since the first year, setting up our padel court so that everyone attending can enjoy and discover a little more about the sport,\u201d said federation representative Javier Garc\u00eda Barreto.<\/p>\n The portable court saw strong participation throughout the day, with many visitors taking the opportunity to play spontaneous matches.<\/p>\n In the afternoon, attention turned to competition, with the start of a tournament created specifically for the event and featuring ten elite pairs.<\/p>\n The final will take place on the morning of Sunday, 15 November.<\/p>\n Swimming, Hyatl\u00f3n and CrossFit among the major sporting events<\/strong><\/p>\n Saturday was also marked by ExpoDeca\u2019s major open-water swimming event, with a route running from La Puntilla to La C\u00edcer, from one end of Las Canteras beach to the other, finishing next to the fair\u2019s main site.<\/p>\n A total of 187 participants completed the event, divided into three starts between 12:30 and 14:30.<\/p>\n The competition joins other major sporting events taking place during ExpoDeca, including the third event of the national Hyatl\u00f3n circuit and the fourth edition of the Gran Canaria Challenge, a CrossFit competition.<\/p>\n Both have developed a strong identity within the fair\u2019s programme.<\/p>\n The presence of athletes competing at full intensity has become one of ExpoDeca\u2019s defining visual features: it is practically the first thing visitors see as they approach Plaza de la M\u00fasica and the different areas of the event.<\/p>\n Other disciplines also occupied different parts of the fair\u2019s 34,000 square metres.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s activities included a Social Run, a wheelchair slalom exhibition, a simultaneous chess event, a Life Challenge championship combining technology, sport and gamification, a triathlon presentation and a cutting shapes dance workshop.<\/p>\n From plough-lifting demonstrations to volleyball matches, ExpoDeca once again became a meeting point both for people who already enjoy sport and for those looking to discover new disciplines.<\/p>\n Support and information<\/strong><\/p>\n ExpoDeca 2026 is promoted by the Canary Islands Government through the Regional Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports, and organised by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through Infecar, Feria de Gran Canaria.<\/p>\n Las Arenas Shopping Centre, Fundaci\u00f3n DISA, Provital, Fred. Olsen, Binter, Tirma, Firgas, Ahembo, Ybarra, Citro\u00ebn and Gofio La Pi\u00f1a support the event as sponsors, while Proexca and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council participate as collaborating organisations.<\/p>\n All updated information about the fair is available on the official website, expodeca.es. Its search tool allows users to find sporting activities by discipline, date and time. ExpoDeca 2026 also has a WhatsApp channel for following the latest news from the fair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The programme at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium featured notable sessions with the Spanish Paralympic Committee and the Activ\u00eddate project, which prescribes personalised physical activity for users of the public healthcare system Saturday\u2019s programme also featured agility, with demonstrations involving handlers and dogs at the Manuel Naranjo Sosa football pitches, as well as the Las […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":15590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sin-categorizar"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t