The Councillor for Sports, Berni Álvarez, presided over the opening ceremony for the 2026-27 season at the CAR in Sant Cugat, where athletes and coaches who excelled in national, European, and world competitions last season were recognized. The Councillor emphasized that these successes "strengthen Catalonia on the international stage".
Athletes who won medals in disciplines such as athletics, swimming, para-swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, climbing, trial, pentathlon, trampoline gymnastics, wrestling, field hockey, and taekwondo were congratulated. In team sports, accolades were given to the men's field hockey national team (World Cup silver), the water polo national teams (men's and women's) for their medals at the Open Championship WP 4x4, and the artistic swimming squads (senior and junior) for their achievements at the European and World Championships.
Individually, honorees included Berta Abellán (world trial champion), Jaël Bestué (bronze at the World Relays and European Athletics Championships), Luca Hoek (gold at the European Junior Swimming Championships), Emma Feliu, Óscar Salguero, and Ian Florencio (medallists at the European Para-swimming Championships), Noemí Romero (bronze at the European Trampoline Gymnastics Championships), and Elsa Secanell and Joel Martín (medallists at the European Senior Taekwondo and Parataekwondo Championships, respectively).
Councillor Álvarez highlighted that high-performance athletes are "a source of pride for the Government and an example for young people," encouraging sports participation and the adoption of lifelong healthy habits.
Furthermore, it was announced that the CAR in Sant Cugat will expand its offerings with new facilities for trial and field hockey. Improvements are also planned for various existing installations, including the renovation of the outdoor pool and the replacement of flooring in two pavilions. These initiatives are part of the new ARC360 plan, aimed at enhancing the structures and services of Catalan training centers.
The event, held just over 600 days before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, was also attended by the Secretary General of the Department of Sports, Abel Garcia, and the Director of the CAR, Ramon Terrassa.
Currently, 387 athletes are training at the CAR, with 292 receiving scholarships from the Catalan Government.
