King Felipe and Queen Letizia to Honour Torrevieja’s Year of Sporting Success

Torrevieja has received the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) Award as the local authority that made the greatest contribution to promoting sport in Spain in 2025.

The award forms part of the National Sports Awards, whose winners were announced on 15 October. Torrevieja’s sporting programme included 150 events and 64 training camps for teams and national squads, attracting 40,892 participants. Compared with 2024, the city recorded 25% more events, 30% more training camps and a 40% rise in participation.

The Spanish Paralympic Committee put forward Torrevieja’s nomination. Mayor Eduardo Dolón thanked the committee, its president Alberto Durán López and corporate development and partnerships director Alejandro Merino for their support. He said the award recognised the work of local clubs, athletes, families, coaches, municipal staff and volunteers.

International competitions included the Virtus Futsal World Championship, which brought six national teams and 92 athletes and staff to Torrevieja. It was the first time the tournament had been held in Spain and the first FEDDI world championship hosted in the country in 17 years.

The city also staged the World Club Championship in Boat Angling, with 18 teams and 90 competitors from five countries, and the Walking Football World Nations Cup, which offered women’s categories from age 40 and men’s categories from 50 to over 70.

The Euromarina Optimist Trophy attracted 430 young sailors from 29 countries. Meanwhile, the International Half Marathon and 10K drew more than 2,000 entrants, a record for the event. Forty per cent came from abroad, and the race included categories for people with disabilities. More than 200 volunteers helped organise it.

Sport for people with disabilities featured prominently in the city’s programme. More than 350 athletes from ten regions competed in the FEDDI Spanish Regional Teams Championships, across athletics, basketball, futsal and swimming. Torrevieja also hosted Spain’s individual club boccia championship, with 37 athletes and 40 technical staff. The city supported adapted swimming and athletics, and added accessible routes and equipment for wheelchair users.

Torrevieja’s sporting calendar also included lifesaving and beach-sport competitions, football and basketball tournaments, and the National Medical Football Championship. That event brought together more than 500 healthcare professionals in 24 teams, alongside conferences on therapeutic exercise, mental health, suicide prevention, oncology and performance monitoring.

The council said it had invested more than €2.75 million in sports facilities, including the refurbishment of the Nelson Mandela multi-use ground and upgrades to racket-sport facilities. Other projects included the María Jesús Viuda sports pavilion, a new skatepark and calisthenics area, and improvements to municipal gyms.

Direct support for local sport totalled €540,000: €400,000 for 30 clubs, €65,000 in scholarships for 85 athletes across 11 sports, and €75,000 for events and activities.

The CSD Award is among this year’s National Sports Awards, which also recognise Marc Márquez and Iris Tió as the best athletes of 2025. The awards were established in 1982, and a formal presentation ceremony is due to be presided over by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

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