Canarian Sports

Canarian Sports In the Canary Islands we practice a lot of

sports. There are some sports that are not typical as

football or basketball, but there are some that are only practiced in these islands.

Why don’t we have a look at them? Join us!

Non typical sports- FootballFootball is very important in the Canary Islands.

We have two important teams: UD Las Palmas and CD Tenerife. They are rivals.

Football players There are very important football players who

come from the Canary Islands. They are in the Spanish Football Selection.

Silva is from Gran Canaria. Next year, he will play in Real Madrid.

Pedrito is from Tenerife. He plays in FC Barcelona

Valerón is from Gran Canaria. He plays in Deportivo de La Coruña

Basketball In the Canary Islands we also have basketball

teams. We have male and female teams.

Beach Volley The Canary Islands has got a lot of beaches.

In summer, we practice Beach Volley and there are international competitions held here.

Beach Football In summer is also typical to play Beach

Football. It is football on the sand of the beach. It’s very funny. Cheerleaders are very important in these competitions.

Body board Body boards is highly practiced by teenagers

in the Canary Islands. The most important beach to practice Body

Board is La Cicer.

Surfing In Gran Canaria we

have one of the best places to practice surfing. It is considered the best beach in the world. It is in Pozo Izquierdo. We have several world champions in the islands.

Surfing champions

These are the Ruano sisters. They are twins and they have been 34 times world Championships. One of them seven times and the other, the rest of the times. They live in Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria, but they are famous all around the world.

Typical sports – Lucha Canaria

•It is called in English “Canarian Wrestling”. It has similarities with Japanese sumo.•It was practiced originally by our ancestors (aborígenes)

Canarian Wrestling - Rules Wrestlers start in the middle of a

sand circle, called a "terrero". The object is to make their opponent touch the sand with any part of their body, except the feet. To accomplish this, they use different techniques called "mañas" to throw their opponent off balance. Two falls are required to win a bout. A match ends when all the members of one team have been defeated.

Palo Canario – Canarian Stick fighting The Canarian stick fighting is a combat with sticks between

two players who indicate, and defend retained strikes avoiding hurting each other.

According to the history books, the sources of this game are the games and combats practiced by the pre-hispanic inhabitants of the Canary Islands.

Petanca - Rules It consists of throwing a ball as near as possible to the smaller

ball known as the "boliche". The players can be two (one against the other) or the game

can be played between teams of two or three people. The games are usually played until one of the teams reaches

13 points. The point goes to the ball that is the nearest to the "boliche".

The other player should continue playing until his ball goes nearer than the other ball to the "boliche".

Each ball of the same team is one point, and these points are counted at the end of each throw, I mean, when the team have all had a throw. The balls have to be made of metal and the "boliche" has to be made of wood.

Petanca

It is played by old and young people. It’s a very entertaining game.

Salto del Pastor – Sheperd’s Leap It is a spectacular folk sport practiced

throughout the Canary Islands.

Its origins came back to the Guanches because they need a fast way of transporting to pass through the ravines that are so typical of these islands.

As salto del pastor has now developed into a folk-sport, is also used in competitive events, which include climbing up and jumping over walls, speedy descents down steep rocks, precision leaps, acrobatic feats and leaps of various styles.

Vela latina - Sailing Sailing is also a typical

sport in the Canary Islands where the sea is so important. We have very important sailors, they have gone to the Olympic Games and they have won.

Javier Hernández, Olympic champion in Laser Category. He is from Tenerife.

Susana Romero, Olympic champion in Radial Category. She is from Gran Canaria.