The Vila Real de Santo António City Council wants to expand the specialization of its High Performance Center (CAR) in the modalities of swimming and triathlon, having presented to the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports a set of proposals to develop this strategy.
The measure was put forward by the vice-president of the autarchy Conceição Cabrita, during a visit that the government official made to the CAR, located in the Municipal Sports Complex, one of the most respected equipment dedicated to athletics worldwide, certified by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
According to vice president Conceição Cabrita, "this measure will make it possible to further expand the specialization of the only CAR located south of the Tagus and monitor the needs of federations."
On the same occasion, the mayor announced that «within a few months, the structure will receive a hotel unit with 200 beds dedicated to the segment of sport and well-being».
"This will enable the development of new strategies that, accompanied by effective communication with the federations, will allow us to attract more athletes and promote a fairer distribution of sports internships among the 13 CARs in the country", says Conceição Cabrita.
The Vila Real de Santo António CAR receives around 6 internships annually and has "significantly contributed to the reduction of seasonality, guaranteeing the municipality the highest average tourist occupancy rates in the entire Algarve", stresses the municipality .
In his speech, and after the visit to the sports facilities, Secretary of State João Paulo Rebelo acknowledged the work developed in VRSA and announced that the tutelage is developing strategies for the internationalization of the national CAR network, underlining its importance in the axis of sport economy and in the dynamization of local economies.
On the other hand, it undertook to develop efforts with institutional, local and sports partners, in order to generate the use of infrastructure both nationally and internationally, articulating with the Sports Foundation the best way to attract investment.
Among elements of the Government, local leaders and presidents of federations, two dozen people responsible for managing national sport at the highest level were also present at this visit.
In 2015, the Sports Foundation of Vila Real de Santo António was integrated into the national network of High Performance Sports Centres, with a focus on athletics, judo, football, triathlon and swimming.
Currently, it is one of the most accredited equipment at national and European level and is a reference for the internship of teams and athletes, adding in its top structures an International Medical Center that supports high competition training, promoting the rehabilitation of athletes and maximizing the performance of teams.
The High Performance Centers (CAR) are a network of sports infrastructure with specialized skills and oriented towards the investigation, improvement and training of high-performance players or national teams, and aim to promote the development of various sports according to international standards.
They seek to meet the needs of federations, detect and enhance talent, enable internships, evaluate and optimize training, assist scientific research and monitor results.
The Sports Foundation, according to an order published in the Diário da República, is the institution responsible for the international coordination and promotion mission of the National CAR Network.
Comments