Portimão hosted its annual sports gala on Sunday, December 16 and paid tribute to over local 400 athletes and coaches who achieved successful results in the 2017/18 season.
The event was also used to shed more light on the ‘European City of Sports’ accolade that the town will boast in 2019, which aims to encourage more people to be active and do sports “no matter their age or limitations.”
However, Portimão mayor Isilda Gomes warns that the sports programme for 2019 won’t be filled with “huge events.”
“I always said we would stay grounded and that our first steps would be to create an event with the motto ‘Mais desporto para todos’ (More sports for everyone) which would allow us to increase our rate of active citizens from 40% to 50%,” she said.
She also revealed that anyone over the age of 16 can apply for a grant to become a volunteer during the event.
Portimão will officially hoist the European City of Sports flag on January 18 during a special event at the Portimão Arena which will feature special guests and musical performances.
