Mallorca Council recognizes the talent of Balearic sailing and canoeing at its Sports Gala

The School Sports Award went to two young sailors who are world, European and Spanish champions: the U17 420 class crew of Amàlia Coll, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Laia Serena Mattos, from Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa.

This Tuesday, March 17TH, the 24th Mallorca Council Sports Gala was held at the Auditorium in Palma, where 317 athletes between the ages of 6 and 16 were recognized for achieving more than 400 podium finishes in national and international competitions. The theatre was full for this major celebration of grassroots sport, with 1,700 invited guests, making it a collective tribute to the effort and achievements of the athletes and federations.

As a new feature this year, the Council focused on the theme “Sport and Environment”: the island’s surroundings as a path that accompanies us in physical activity. Sport and territory as a bond and an alliance. During the gala, four special awards were also presented to figures from the world of sport: the Values Award to top-level referees, the Centenary Award to the Football Federation of the Balearic Islands, the Career Award to trotting driver Joan Toni Riera, “Es Boveret,” and the Excellence Award to Illes Balears Palma Futsal.

In addition, the Sports Gala also recognized the best school-age sporting record of 2025: sailors Amàlia Coll Company, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Laia Serena Mattos Antognini, from Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa. The pair were crowned Spanish, European and world champions in the Under-17 Women’s 420 Class, cadet category. An outstanding success and a brilliant example of the high level of sailing in Mallorca.

The Mallorca Council also paid special tribute to three more athletes who achieved first place at European championships during 2025: Paula Valenzuela Boyeras, basketball player; Fernando Bujosa, motorcycle racer; and Mateus Vargas Coy, skater.

Council President Llorenç Galmés thanked the federations, coaches and families “for the encouragement of habits and values that their involvement in promoting school-age sport represents,” and highlighted that “this 24th edition of the Council Gala includes the highest number of athletes ever recognized at this event, with 317 award winners, 18 more than in 2024. It is a reflection of the strong work being done by federated sport in Mallorca and of the motivation of young people.”

Second Vice President and Councillor for the Environment, Rural Affairs and Sports, Pedro Bestard, said that “from the Council, we are grateful for the work and collaboration of these young athletes in reaching such heights, and of the elite clubs for working with the Council’s Sports Department as a leading reference.” Bestard also stressed that “the 2026 theme brings together sport and environment and, in fact, Mallorca is much more than just a setting for sport. Practising outdoor sport means connecting with our surroundings. From that connection comes respect and the desire to protect what inspires us. Taking care of natural spaces is also part of doing sport.”

The 24th Sports Gala 2026 featured two outstanding guest athletes who accompanied the award winners: sprinter Esperança Cladera, Spanish champion and world silver medallist, and sailor Paula Barceló, world champion and fourth-place finisher at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, who competes in the 49er FX class.

The event was hosted by two well-known Mallorcan presenters, Toni Terrades and Marisa Aliaga, who brought plenty of energy to a ceremony enlivened by Circo Bover, with very organic sport-themed performances built around a mobile bamboo structure.