The players of the Ciudad Imperial Handball Sports Club, who received this Sunday one of the seven distinctions of the 1st Toledo Young Talent Awards, received the award dressed in black to symbolize “the regret” they say they feel for “the recent rise of sports facilities rates of over 300%, not only for club members but for many more athletes.
This was stated by the women’s team in a message shared on their social networks after receiving the award during the gala held this Sunday at the Teatro de Rojas. Three days before, the rates for sports facilities and the implementation of activities in schools of the Municipal Sports Council for this season were approved at the municipal plenary session – with the support of the local government of PP and Vox.
During the award ceremony, Sports Councilor Rubén Lozano was on stage, as well as Mayor Carlos Velázquez, as well as other members of his government team and institutional representatives.
The debate on updating these prices, rejected by the PSOE and IU-Podemos, has already sparked criticism and mobilization from swimming clubs, with whom an agreement was finally reached. The mayor then defended the “need” to update the prices of the Sports Council to guarantee its continuity.
“We are fervent defenders of public management of sport by institutions, guaranteeing sports practice to their citizens at affordable prices. And we understand that sport in a city should never be considered as an expense, but as an investment, both in health and in healthy habits or in the promotion of the culture of effort through sport among the youngest. to obtain, in return, tomorrow, better citizens,” said Balonmano Ciudad Imperial.
Likewise, they stressed that “making certain decisions for the city’s clubs without taking into account our opinions, concerns or suggestions can only result in children from less well-off families no longer being able to play many sports, due to their high additional cost.
However, in his statement he shows his willingness to “cooperate with institutions in everything that can improve the conditions of our athletes and their environment in our city.” “For our part, we will do it with particular effort during our edition of the Toledo Handball Cup in 2025, in which our city will become the European Capital of Sports, with the help of the Toledo City Hall,” they added .
The PSOE shows its support for Imperial Handball
The Municipal Group of the PSOE showed its “total support” for this request from the Toledo club. Thus, he once again criticized that “the approved rate increase represents a direct blow to the base of sport in the city, seriously affecting families who see the possibility of their sons and daughters continuing to practice sports at risk.”
The socialist group believes that the new prices “jeopardize the continuity of the sporting practice of many Toledo families”. “These political decisions respond to an interest in financing private and media events, such as the contested European City of Sport, which have no official value and are clearly aimed at benefiting companies friendly to the government team,” says he.
It is for this reason that he demands “the immediate withdrawal of these measures and the implementation of policies favoring access to sport for all young Toledonians”. “We will continue to fight so that Toledo continues to be an inclusive city, in which sport is a right and not a luxury,” they add.
Young Talent Award
During the gala, organized by SerOnoser and Valmaseda, eight prizes were awarded in different categories; a special mention from the city of Toledo to Toledo Olympians, Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, Irene Sánchez Escribano and María Tello; and a special national mention to Carolina Marín. More precisely, the categories and recognitions are:
- Training: ESN Toledo
- Sports: Lucas Búa and Imperial Women’s Handball
- Cultural: Sara Bargueño
- Performing Arts: Be Dance
- Musical creation: twenty-one
- Entrepreneurship: Noemotions
- Associationism and volunteering: CECAP Joven
The mayor showed his “commitment to young people”, who, he assured, are “the present and future of Toledo”, and congratulated the winners for being “an example for all”. A congratulation that was addressed to the Department of Youth for promoting this gala “which is an act of justice and which came to cover something that until now had not been done in the city.” For this reason, the mayor hopes that it will be the first of a long series, “because there is a lot of talent among young people.”
Finally, Velázquez expressed the City Hall’s commitment to issues that concern young people, such as access to stable employment with a decent salary or access to housing.
