The National Road Championships, a 10-kilometre race to be held on 4 January in Figueira da Foz, are expected to bring together over a thousand athletes, the Portuguese Athletics Federation (FPA) admitted this Wednesday at the presentation of the competition. The competition will be held in the early evening of the first Saturday in January, on an urban, fast route that is likely to result in good times, between the town of Buarcos and the riverside and commercial area of Figueira da Foz.
At the presentation session of the race, which will crown national senior male and female road champions, individually and in teams, as well as under-23 and under-20 athletes, the president of the FPA, Domingos Castro, said that the institution he leads "is very grateful" to the municipal councils for the support they give to promoting the sport in their territories. "We consider the Figueira da Foz City Council to be a friend of the federation", said Domingos Castro, addressing the mayor of the local authority, Pedro Santana Lopes.
In his response, the mayor, despite stating that he does not like to make decisions that extend beyond his term of office (which ends at the end of 2025), announced that the National Road Championships will remain in Figueira da Foz until 2029, that is, four more editions in addition to the one presented today.
"The commitment remains until the end of the decade", stressed Santana Lopes, who indicated to journalists that this decision will have the unanimous support of local political forces.
On the same occasion, the Corrida dos Reis was presented, which will take place on the same 10-kilometre route as the national championships, taking place practically simultaneously with the federated event, organised by the Buarcos and São Julião Parish Council in partnership with the Associação Desportiva Quatro Estações.
The municipality of Figueira da Foz pays 20 thousand euros directly to the FPA to host the National Road Championships in 2025, in addition to logistical support and payment for police, which represents, according to figures released today by the municipality, a total funding of around 25 thousand euros.
The Corrida dos Reis costs the parish council around six thousand euros, with half of this amount being supported by sponsorship from Casino Figueira.
No comments:
Post a Comment