Talking to Lanzarote Cabildo’s Sports Councillor

Sport is an essential part of life on Lanzarote, central to the lives of thousands of islanders and a big attraction for many more tourists. Juan Francisco Monzón is the Cabildo’s Sport Councillor. We caught up with him last month.

Councillor, how important is sport to the island’s economy?

The tourist board has put an emphasis on sporting activities. We have events in every month of the year. All of this has repercussions in terms of tourism and our economy, we bring in much more money than we spend, and we’ve successfully established sport and athletics as an alternative to “sun and sea” tourism. Recently we’ve hosted the A1 Padel tournament, the Spanish Handball Cup and the iQ Foil Games, and they’ve all provided valuable publicity for the island.

It’s not just about making money, though, is it? For example, there are hundreds of pensioners currently taking part in the annual “Lanzarote Grandparents” bowls tournament every week.

Of course, sport is about well-being and health, as well as competition, and it’s important to all ages. The bowls tournament is a great event that allows older people to socialise, and it’s also part of our heritage – all the other Canary Islands have recognised the importance of the tournament.

Do you go looking for sporting events to promote?

Not usually. People normally come to us with a proposal, and we’ll consider anything.

Any plans for the future?

We’re updating the Nautical Sports Centre at El Cable and creating a swimming circuit that can be used to practice for competitions. We’re also re-opening the Ciudad Deportiva soon, with new surface and a renovated Canarian Wrestling ring.

Further in the future, the draft island plan proposes a new “Sporting City”, with football stadium and a motor-racing circuit between Arrecife and San Bartolomé. We’ve wanted to extend for a while, but there isn’t the land to do it.

What are your proudest achievements?

We’ve created the Island Sports Board with experts from all the town halls, and what we’re absolutely committed to is developing sport at grass roots level, by providing the facilities that support training and the necessary funding.

We also hope to support as many competitions as we can and assist sporting associations economically. We’ve got €2 million in grants to apportion. We’re also working on an Island Calendar of Sport, which will cover all events on the island.