Karate demonstrations, dance, zumba lessons and cycling or games of tennis and futsal among the little ones were some of the activities that took place at the end of the afternoon of this Thursday, September 30th, in Tavira, at the closing, at national level, of the commemorations of the European Week of Sport.
Developed by the European Commission and coordinated in Portugal by the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ), the European Sport Week, scheduled from 23 to 30 September, had «activities for all tastes and ages across the country», including « the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, which joined the initiative for the first time», began by saying Vítor Pataco, president of the IPDJ, at the closing session.
The European Sport Week, which is now in its seventh edition, "aims to draw people's attention, from the oldest to the youngest, to the fight against the scourge that crosses the whole of Europe and which has to do with people not moving" .
“We are coming out of a pandemic and we have even higher inactivity rates. This problem is not just Portuguese, but Portugal has to take an even stronger path. By carrying out these initiatives, we are setting a European example», stressed Vítor Pataco.
Ana Paula Martins, mayor of Tavira, thanked “the fact that the IPDJ chose the city as the location for this closing event of the European Sport Week”.
«In recent years, we have given great importance to the practice of sports in the county and we have also developed a program to promote physical activity that has several modalities and goes from kindergartens to homes, from the city center to parishes, also having initiatives dedicated to adapted sport'.
The Tavira mayor also stressed that "it has been an honor to promote the practice of sports, as it is an essential factor for health", stating that "we want to continue working for sport in the municipality of Tavira".
Ana Paula Martins also thanked José Manuel Guerreiro for 12 years in the service of Tavirense sport as councilor, a term that is now about to end.
Some Algarve ambassadors of this European Sport Week also took to the ceremony stage, such as David Livramento (cyclist), Joana Santos (judoka), Luís Conceição, Paulo Murta and Vidal Fitas (coaches), Ezequiel Canário and Ana Cabecinha (Olympic athletes), between others.
Custódio Moreno, regional director of the IPDJ, underlined at the end of the ceremony that Tavira was the national capital of sport for one day, thanking all the employees of the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth and the Municipality of Tavira who collaborated in the organization of the event.
Photos: Rúben Bento | Sul Informação
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