José Manuel Bolieiro highlights importance of sport in "shaping personality and character" - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, chaired the 23rd Azorean Sports Gala on Tuesday, accompanied by the Regional Secretary for Education, Culture and Sport, Sofia Ribeiro, at the Ramo Grande Auditorium on Terceira Island.

The gala honoured 131 athletes and organisations, two journalists and 32 personalities. It also awarded a trophy in the high-performance category and 37 trophies for national and international rankings, namely 18 for individuals and 19 for teams.

"This gala is an end, which recognises the merit of the results already achieved. However, it is also a beginning, as it motivates us to continue along the path of sport, an educational and stimulating process for the health of every one of us," said José Manuel Bolieiro.

"We are promoting healthier and happier people, fostering more active and engaged citizenship," he added.

Gymnast Leonor Januário and basketball player Simão Teixeira Codorniz were honoured as Athletes of the Year.

Bruno França received the Annual Sports Prestige Award and Teacher Eduardo Monteiro, former Regional Director, received the Prestigious Career Award.

The leader of the Regional Government praised the work carried out by managers, coaches, athletes, referees and judges, recalling the importance of sport in "shaping personality and character."

José Manuel Bolieiro also offered a word of gratitude and recognition for the work done by journalists and sports media outlets in the Azores, who "have been doing a true public service by promoting sport and valuing everyone involved."

He highlighted the "increase in federated athletes over the last four years." This is accompanied by the "emergence of excellent sporting results," encouraging the Region to dream of being in a position to have athletes trained in the Azores representing Portugal at the Olympic Games soon.

The Azores have around 25 thousand federated athletes, a record number in 2023, in 43 sports.

A total of 16,566 federated male athletes (67.23%) and 8,076 female athletes (32.77%) competed. It should be noted that the number of female participants was the highest of all the years under study and the percentage of female participation was the best recorded in the last 18 years.

The training levels represent the vast majority, with 74.32% of federated athletes, totalling 18,315, a figure higher than last year.

Additionally, there were 1,147 federated coaches in the Region. The number of referees/judges totalled around 1,000.

In 2023, the number of federated managers in the Azores totalled 1,620.