The XXXIII Sports Awards of El Ejido recognize the work, talent and effort of twelve athletes, people and clubs

The Gala was held at the Municipal Theater and was chaired by the mayor of El Ejido, Julia Ibáñez, and the mayor of Sports, María José Martín Julia Ibáñez congratulated "our clubs, their directors, coaches, monitors, volunteers, fathers and mothers, the IMD and the Local Police and Civil Protection because they dedicate countless hours, often in an absolutely disinterested way, to move forward and collaborate in sports projects and, above all, to train the new generations" In addition, in reference to the Mayor's Cup, which he has given to Vicente Puertas, he explained that "it is in recognition and admiration of all ejidense sport. You have shown that great projects need talent, but also leadership, generosity, work capacity and people willing to take on responsibilities" Next to the Mayor's Cup, the winners have been: Robert Privistirescu; Club Halterejido; Almerimar Unión Deportiva; CD El Ejido Futsal; Miguel Cano; Civil Protection El Ejido; and for Club Ajedrez El Ejido The ‘Special Jury Award’ has been for the photographer Toñi Indalecio Three runners-up have been awarded for the karatekas Gustavo Valdivia and Adriadna Rodríguez and posthumously for Baldomero Rodríguez, for their contribution to the promotion of sport ejidense.

The City Council of El Ejido, through the Municipal Sports Institute, held today at the Municipal Theater the grand gala of the Sports Awards of El Ejido that reach its thirty-third edition. The mayor of El Ejido, Julia Ibáñez, chaired the event together with the Councilor for Sports, María José Martín, where the delegate of the Government of the Junta, Francisco Góngora, was also present; the Deputy Delegate of Sports , María Luisa Cruz; as well as councilors of the Municipal Corporation, winners, jury, clubs, sponsors and neighbors. Julia Ibáñez said that "tonight we celebrate the successes of the season and we celebrate the effort behind each achievement. The constancy that is not always seen. The ability to overcome difficulties.

And, above all, the values that make sport an extraordinary school of life. "There is a quote by Nelson Mandela that says that “ sport has the power to change the world”. "Sport teaches us to win with humility and lose with dignity. To respect the adversary, to trust our comrades and to understand that no true success is achieved without effort, discipline and sacrifice. "

"Because a medal recognizes a result, but the values that are acquired through sport remain forever." "And I think those values have a lot to do with our own identity as a municipality." "The Ejido is a land of enterprising, hard-working people, accustomed to facing challenges, overcoming difficulties and building their future with effort and determination."

"A land that knows that great goals are not achieved by chance, but with work, commitment and perseverance." "And we find that same spirit every day in our athletes." "That's why, when we talk about sport, we're not just talking about competition. We are talking about education, coexistence, health and the future." And El Ejido has reason to be proud of the road traveled. “We have more than 3,000 federal licenses, 106 sports clubs and about 5,000 ejidenses that participate each season in our municipal sports schools.

An offer that already covers 30 different sports and reflects the vitality of a municipality where sport is present in our neighbourhoods, in our population centres, in our schools and in the daily lives of thousands of families". "From the City Council we are very clear that investing in sport is investing in people and in the quality of life of our municipality. "

"That's why we continue to expand and improve our network of sports facilities. We have recently incorporated the new Ejido Norte pavilion and will continue to advance with such important projects as the new Almerimar Sports Complex and the new sports center in Las Norias de Daza." “Facilities are necessary. Resources are essential. But the true sporting heritage of El Ejido is its people." "They are our clubs, their directors, coaches, monitors, volunteers, fathers and mothers. People who dedicate countless hours, often in an absolutely disinterested way, to carry out sports projects and, above all, to train the new generations".

"To all of you I want to express my appreciation and gratitude." "My appreciation also goes to the workers of the Municipal Sports Institute, for their professionalism, their commitment and their constant work so that the sports activity of El Ejido continues to grow." "To our Local Police and Civil Protection, for their collaboration and for contributing to the safety of so many sporting events." "And, of course, to that exemplary business fabric of our municipality, which once again demonstrates its commitment to El Ejido by supporting clubs, athletes and projects that generate excitement and opportunities. "And we come to the real reason that brings us together today.

I want to start by thanking the members of the jury, who have had the difficult responsibility of assessing the numerous nominations for this edition. "And to convey my sincere congratulations to all the winners." First of all, this year's Mayoral Cup has gone to Vicente Puertas Rodríguez. "Vicente, today we want to publicly express the affection, recognition and admiration of the entire sport ejidense.

Your career is deeply linked to futsal, first as a player and sponsor in the amateur field and later assuming important responsibilities at the head of the CD El Ejido Futsal". "You have shown that great projects need talent, but also leadership, generosity, work capacity and people willing to take responsibility. And this year we have witnessed one of the great milestones of our sporting history: the rise of the CD El Ejido Futsal to the First Division". During her speech, the mayor also remembered Father Ángel Becerra, who died on October 14. "An endearing, close, deeply loved person who always carried El Ejido in his heart. His priestly vocation marked his life, but those of us who knew him know that there was another great passion that always accompanied him: his beloved Poli Ejido. "At the gala, which was presented by journalist Fran Fernández and entertained by the ejido singer Kike Gabana, awards were given to:

1. Best Athlete: Roberto Privistirescu. Rowing who in August 2026 reached the international peak by winning the gold medal in the modality of Four without a male helmsman during the Youth World Championship held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He formed the champion crew with Borja Núñez, Juan Jesús Ortega and Manuel Cruz, managing to surpass the boats of Great Britain and France in the final with a time of 6:00.97. Among his main achievements is also the runner-up of Spain in the Remoergometer, beach medal in Youth Skiff and Champion of Spain of 1xJM (6,000 meters) in the 2025 season. Next season he will be awarded a scholarship by the University of California, Berkeley.

2. Featured Club: The Club Halterejido. Founded in 2019, it is a national reference in weightlifting. Recently he has achieved an outstanding performance in the World Masters Weightlifting Championship held in Athens from September 17 to 26, 2026, winning three gold medals by Manu Sánchez, Antonio Tarifa and María de la Puente. It counts among its athletes with the haltera David Sánchez and stands out for the promotion it makes of this sport.

3. Sports promotion: Almerimar Unión Deportiva (Almerimar U.D.). Grassroots football club founded in 2023. It is based in Almerimar and covers practically all stages of grassroots football, from babies, prebenjamín, benjamín and fry to children, cadets and youth.

4. Featured event or event: CD El Ejido Futsal. After achieving a historic direct promotion to the First Division of national futsal on May 16, 2026 after being proclaimed champion of the Second Division. The Celeste team sealed its ticket to the highest category on the last day of the regular season, beating the CD Leganés FS 7-3 in front of a completely crowded Municipal Sports Pavilion of El Ejido. decisive match highlighted the hat-trick of Isma Vacas and the goals of Rosa, Cristian Rubio, Josete and Dela.

5. Municipal sport: Miguel Cano. Key figure in the sport of El Ejido, widely recognized as the president of the Santa María del Águila Petanque Club. Under his leadership and management, he has significantly promoted the practice of this sport in the municipality. It should be noted that he managed to organize the II Petanque World Championship in Almerimar in 2019.

6. Collaboration with ejidense sports: Civil Protection El Ejido. It is an indisputable pillar for the success and safety of municipal sports events, providing operational capacity, risk prevention and immediate response that guarantee the well-being of both athletes and the public, including races, tournaments or championships in the different population centers.

7. To the sporting career: Club Ajedrez El Ejido. Coinciding with an especially significant year for the entity, as this October they celebrate their 40th anniversary. Throughout these years they have worked generation after generation to promote the teaching and dissemination of chess, bringing it closer to children, young people and adults and representing El Ejido in numerous competitions.

8. Jury Special: Toñi Indalecio. Photographer and passionate about sporting events in El Ejido. Attend all the races and camera in hand records all the moments developed during the competitions. Taking some snapshots that reflect the affection he feels for the sport of El Ejido and that, later, can be seen on his social media profiles.

9. Mayor's Cup: Vicente Puertas Rodríguez. A fundamental figure in the history and development of sport in the municipality of El Ejido, especially linked to futsal. His career spans from his beginnings as a player and amateur sponsor to becoming president of CD El Ejido Futsal leading the club to the national elite with his historic promotion to the First Division. Beyond the results of his own club, Puertas has consolidated as a promoter of institutional cooperation, enhancing the recruitment of sponsors to protect ejidense grassroots sport.

Three tickets have also been awarded:

• Runner-up: Baldomero Rodríguez, posthumously, for his contribution to the promotion of ejido sport.

• Runner-up: Gustavo Valdivia. Karateka who has signed one of the most brilliant campaigns in 2026, proclaiming himself champion of Spain in Technical Tests.

• Runner-up: Ariadna Rodríguez. Karate that has been proclaimed in 2026 champion of Spain in Technical Tests by teams.