The 23rd Sports Gala of the Consell de Mallorca awards the talent of Balearic sailing and canoeing

This Tuesday, March 18, the XXIII Sports Gala of the Consell de Mallorca took place at the Auditorium in Palma, where 299 athletes between the ages of 6 and 16 were recognized, having achieved more than 400 podiums in national and international sports competitions. The theater was filled for this great celebration of grassroots sports with 1,700 invited attendees, which represents a collective acknowledgment of the effort and achievements of athletes and federations.

As a novelty, this year the Consell has focused on the technical field. On one hand, the theme "Sports and technology" was developed, showcasing the advances that different federations are making thanks to digital innovation. On the other hand, a tribute was paid to four great coaches from the history of Mallorcan training, who collected their awards on stage: Kiko Martín, canoeing coach and Values Award; Toni Nadal, tennis coach and Career Award; Brigitte Yagüe, taekwondo coach and Promise Award, and Llorenç Serra Ferrer, football coach, as the Excellence Award.

The president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, thanked the coaches, clubs, federations, town halls, and families "for being the engine of Mallorcan sports," and highlighted that "these awards are a boost to continue working with enthusiasm and perseverance." Galmés also wanted to value the figure of the coach, whom this gala honors: "behind the sports and human achievements of the youth, there is a coach who not only teaches techniques but also acts as a guide and mentor who instills values and provides the motivation to achieve goals," he added.

The second vice president and councilor for Environment, Rural Environment, and Sports, Pedro Bestard, valued "the years, months, weeks, days, hours that everyone here today dedicates to their sport, their discipline." Additionally, Bestard also highlighted the new Special Awards that the Consell de Mallorca has given. "For the first time, the Consell wanted to value the figure of the coach, a model of dedication, passion, and leadership. Vital figures in the sports and human success of our champions."

The 23rd Sports Gala awarded the School Sports Award to two world and European sailing champions, in the 420 class, for their outstanding record. They are the crew of Neus Fernández and Martina Gomila, sailors from Club Nàutic s'Arenal, who achieved first place in the sub-17 category at the World Championship in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); a first place at the Absolute European Championship in Portorož (Slovenia), and 3rd place at the Youth European Championship in Thessaloniki (Greece).

With these achievements, Neus and Martina have placed the sailing of our territory at the highest international level. An exciting moment that culminated with their speech on stage.

The 2025 Sports Gala featured two luxury godparents, two athletes collaborating in the Consell de Mallorca's values programs: the canoeist who won a bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Joan Toni Moreno, pupil of Kiko Martín; and the Dakar rally co-driver, Sonia Ledesma, the first Balearic to participate in one of the toughest raids in the world.

The presentation of the event was conducted by two great Mallorcan reporters: Toni Terrades and Virginia Quetglas, who managed to extract the essence of an event animated by Circ Bover, with sports numbers with touches of humor.