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Aid to six athletes and two technical specialists

Foto judokesSports councillor Jordi Vidal reported today on the decision by the Formentera Council Office of Sport to award €13,000 in grants to six sportspeople and two coaches from the island. The grant recipients –three tennis players, two judo players and a pro runner– are all under 18. As part of a February agreement and in partnership with the regional foundation for sport (Fundació Balear per l’Esport), the Govern Balear has pledged to contribute €10,000 to the initiative. The Formentera administration, for its part, has added its own contribution of €3,000 “to cover the basic needs of the grantees”.

According to Vidal, the grants were created to “help these young men and women in their development as professional athletes”. Vidal described the process of pursuing economic support for the Formentera residents, which he said began with a request to Carles Gunyalons, director general of sports in the Balearics. Vidal told Gunyalons of his office's commitment to helping the local athletes improve their performance, a task all the more important given the uniqueness of Formentera's particular situation.

The CiF Office of Sport drew up criteria for athletes that sought to qualify for the assistance packs. An application review committee, formed by Councillor Vidal; Eivissa native and Fundació per l'Esport representative Javier Bonet Salvà; Formentera Office of Sport staff specialist Daniel de la Dueña and, in an outside advisory role, José Alborch, coordinator for Escoles Esportives Municipals. The review process, said Vidal, centred around “applicants' needs and athletic level”.