MADRID, 16 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Arroyomolinos (Madrid) will be the setting between June 10 and 16 for the celebration of ‘Climbing Madrid’, a macro-festival whose main mission will be to promote the practice of a booming sport such as climbing, especially in the Community of Madrid. .
The Madrid town will be the epicenter of this sport next month, with the Spanish Difficulty and Paraclimbing Championship taking place between June 13 and 16, the first tests of the Spanish Cup, as well as the Madrid Difficulty Championship for the Absolute and Under-18 categories and the Madrid Paraclimbing Championship.
In addition, Arroyomolinos will install a bouldering wall of more than 30 meters where schools, universities, federations, schools and fans can enjoy climbing for free, as detailed this Thursday by the organization at the presentation event of this project, which has the collaboration of Indoorwall and the Prensa Ibérica group, together with the Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FEDME), the Community of Madrid and the Madrid Mountaineering Federation (FMM).
Israel Macià, president of World Pro Ride, promoter of the event, warned that they are going to “give everything” so that everything “turns out as best as possible.” “It is made with so much passion thinking about sport and athletes that it is impossible for it not to go well. Just imagining it gives me goosebumps,” she confessed.
Macià was also pleased that climbing has gone from being a “minority sport” to something “more important”, thanks to successes such as the Olympic gold that Alberto Ginés won in Tokyo 2020, and made it clear that they are going to “make a very big effort to bring an event of these characteristics to this level.
For his part, the sports vice president of the FEDME, Iñigo Ayllón, thanked the promoters and institutions for “joining this social change that has brought about the change in climbing, from being a frowned upon, ‘hippie’ and marginal, activity, to be open to everyone”, while the first vice president of the FMM, Jorge Tabernero, stressed that climbing is a sport that “cannot be practiced alone”, but rather “in society”.
In addition, he highlighted the fact that this event is held in Arroyomolinos, a municipality that “is not a mountain, but rather flat”, something that reinforces that climbing should be “in all places.” “The escalation is not having a ceiling either in Spain or in the Community of Madrid,” he stressed.
Climbers also participated in the event, such as the young promise Geila Macià, who at 16 years old has already been a six-time Spanish champion, five times a European youth champion, and runner-up in the youth world, who dreams and trains with her eyes fixed on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. “Since I found out that climbing was Olympic, I have not thought about anything else, and I decided that I wanted to work very hard for it,” said the young athlete.
“For me it is my life, it is what I do every day and it helps me improve as a person and athlete. It has made me learn to lose and win. I recommend everyone to try this sport because it has many goals,” he added.
Next to her was Carlos Suárez, a veteran alpinist, climber, base jumper who has been “lucky” to know some of the great mountains in the world, inspired by references such as Carlos Soria from Avila.
Iván Muñoz, paraclimbing champion in the World Cup held in Salt Lake City and who has been dealing with multiple sclerosis for 15 years, stressed that “perseverance” is the only condition to be a great climber, while Guillermo Pelegrín, who has suffered from a visual problem since he was three years old that causes degenerative blindness and has also stood out in the World Cup, warned that he does not want his story or that of Muñoz to be considered as “one of improvement” but simply as “stories of people.” with disabilities who want to climb”.
“From my home they have tried to instill in me the values of sport, because it is a good tool for me to face my disability. Climbing to be blind is one of the sports that gives you the most autonomy, it is you and the wall, and the one who decides the movements are you,” he noted, highlighting the work of guides like his, Antonio Curiel.
ALBERTO TOMÉ: “IT IS A PERFECT EVENT TO PROMOTE CLIMBING”
For his part, the general director of Sports of the Community of Madrid, Alberto Tomé, stressed the “luck of being able to celebrate the first macro climbing festival in a municipality like Arroyomolinos.” “From the Community of Madrid we are committed to Climbing Madrid because it brings together all the components to be the perfect event to promote a sport like climbing,” he said.
Tomé recalled the latest results of the Madrid climbers in the Spanish Championships, with 46 medals, 10 of them in paraclimbing, in addition to the 16 medals in World and European Championships in both climbing and the Paralympic modality. “There are no ceilings, limits or barriers when the desire to excel pushes you to demonstrate your talent. Knowing that with effort and determination anything is possible,” he declared.
Finally, the mayor of Arroyomolinos, Luis Quiroga, showed his “pride” for hosting an event of this nature, and recalled that ten years ago, they started a climbing school. In addition, he invited everyone to attend the festival, emphasizing the “hospitality” of the municipality and its businesses, estimating 35,000 visitors who will attend the event, with which he expects a “very large economic impact.”