Lagoa Council is raving about the success of the new running track at Estádio da Bela Vista, which has been hosting training camps organised by athletics teams from all over Europe.
“Demand has been very high to hold training camps at the new running track,” says the council. “From foreign and national clubs to national teams, several athletes have been practising at the new running track, with the excellent conditions that it offers, as well as the four existing ramps.”
During the Easter season alone, the stadium located in Parchal hosted training camps from a German team (LG Brilux Muenster), Danish team (Vejle if Atletik) and two Belgian teams (Zwat and Atletiek Volharding Beveren), which together accounted for over 40 athletes.
The running track was also used for a nearly week-long (April 17-22) training camp organised by the national team of the Portuguese Athletics Federation, which included the national 400m coach and 12 athletes.
Aside from the Algarve’s ideal weather for athletics, the “excellent conditions” offered by the running track and the stadium are highlighted by the coaches and athletes who practise at Bela Vista, the council says.
The local authority stresses that these training camps represent an “important source of revenue” for the local economy and “justify the relevance of municipal policies for the development of sports in the borough,” says the council, adding that it “invests continuously in the improvement of its sports infrastructures.
The council also stresses that Olympic athlete Patrícia Mamona also frequently chooses Bela Vista as a practise location, having even taken part in the inauguration ceremony of the new running track.
“We work every day to promote sports in the municipality and to offer better conditions to our athletes. However, we also invest in sports tourism to support our local economy. Having sports facilities of excellence and seeing them acknowledged on a European level is an asset for the borough,” says Lagoa mayor Luís Encarnação.
