Sailing, canoeing and jet skis are candidates for the Premis Esports IB 2023 awards

The Plenary of the Assembly of Sport and Physical Activity of the Balearic Islands (ABE) has approved the candidates for the Premis Esports IB 2023, which will be awarded on 18 December at the Balearic Sports Gala.

The Balearic Sports Assembly delegates the proposal of candidates for the Premis Esports IB to a working committee. In this way, as the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzà, states, "the proposal has been drawn up with the participation of the entire sporting fabric of the Balearic Islands, including federations, administrations of four islands and other bodies with the aim of presenting this assembly with the best possible proposal".

The President of the Government, Marga Prohens, stressed that "if we have so many sportspeople in the Balearic Islands who are a point of reference, I am sure it is because their clubs, sports federations and organizations are exceptional".

Among the nominations approved for the 12 categories of distinctions of the Premis Esports IB, there are outstanding sportsmen and women in the disciplines of sailing, canoeing and even motorboating. For example, the sailors from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, Nacho Baltasar and Neus Ballester, who have been nominated in the categories of Promising Men and Promising Women respectively. Nacho Baltasar will represent Spain at the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024 in the Olympic debut of the IQFoil discipline. Neus Ballester is the current European U21 champion in the 470 class. 

Also nominated for the men's promise are the rower from the Real Club Náutico de Palma, Álex Graneri, who this summer won team silver and individual bronze at the U23 World Championship held in Italy; and the Ibizan Alejandro Prats, current world champion in the Runabout GP4 category.

Another paddler, but from the Reial Club Nàutic Port de Pollença, is nominated in the female Promise category, Maria del Ángels Moreno, who won bronze at the World Championships in the C2 500 category. Her son-in-law, Joan Toni Moreno, also a canoeist from Nàutic Port de Pollença, is nominated for Best Male Athlete, after becoming world champion in the C4 500 and runner-up in the C1 200.  

Adrián Castaño, a paracanoist from the Real Club Náutico de Palma, is also one of the candidates for this edition of the Premis Esports IB, in the category of Best Male Adapted Sportsman. Castaño competed in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and is currently fighting to represent Spain again in Paris. 

The women's sailing team, Baleària Team RCNP, is also nominated in the Best Women's Team category. The crew, made up of María Bover, Miriam Oliva, Melaia Henke and Laura Martín, has achieved a hat-trick this season, winning the Spanish Women's Sailing Championship, the Iberdrola League and the Alicante City&Beach Trophy.

But that's not all, canoeing is also nominated in the categories Best Technician, Best Technique and Honorary Award. The coach of the Club Nàutic Sant Antoni, Beatriz Menéndez, the Menorcan coach Antonio Diego Anglada and Àngel Gràcia, canoeist of the Real Club Náutico de Palma for his sporting career.