MADRID, 8 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Hospitalet Nord facilities, in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), have hosted the basketball finals of the Pau Gasol Academy by Santander this Saturday, with 340 participants of 26 nationalities that have thus put the end point to a week full of sport, healthy habits, fun and values.
“The day began with a warm-up session and dynamics by seasons in which the ‘campers’ from the different sections participated. Next, the 3×3 and 5×5 competitions of the different sections of the academy began”, has indicated the Pau Gasol Academy by Santander through a press release.
“At the end of this part, the long-awaited match between the Rising Stars participants took place,” specified the note on the section made up of basketball promises. This competition has featured Pau Gasol himself, NBA legend and member of the IOC Athletes Commission, as well as president of the Gasol Foundation.
The press text has highlighted the participation of Raquel Carrera, a Valencia Basket player and an international with the absolute Spanish team. Throughout the week, basketball figures such as Cory Higgins, current Barça player, and Patricia Cabrera, former professional player and now coach, have also visited the Academy.
“Likewise, the Rising Stars section has enjoyed modernization Clinics with top-level coaches such as Laura Antoja and Jaume Ponsarnau, and formative talks given by the young promise of wheelchair basketball, Ignacio ‘Pincho’ Ortega, and the international referee, Alberto Baena”, added the press release.
“For me, it is a pride to celebrate a new edition of the academy, which was born with the aim of promoting grassroots sport and which, over the years, has become a benchmark campus at an international level, beyond basketball training” Pau Gasol declared.
“The academy provides a magnificent opportunity for participants to learn healthy habits and values that will accompany them throughout their lives and will allow them to develop their full potential as athletes and as people,” said the two-time NBA champion. in the Los Angeles Lakers.
The participants of this nineteenth edition have paid tribute to Pau Gasol, composing and singing the academy anthem and removing the number 16 from the official kit, with signatures from all. The act has concluded with the delivery of distinctions to the winners of the different contests and the distribution of medals.
The Pau Gasol Academy by Santander has had the main sponsorship of Banco Santander. “Year after year, it renews its commitment to the project within its vocation to support amateur sports”, the note on the crucial support of the bank concluded.