At the end of December, the capital of Tenerife recovers after a year of absence, the junior Christmas tournament, ‘Junior Fred Olsen Santa Cruz de Tenerife Tournament’. In this edition and with the participating teams to be confirmed, the courts of the Quico Cabrera and Paco Álvarez Pavilion will host the male and female categories of this edition.
During the day of this Wednesday, Paco Chinea (honorary president) and Ramón Cubeles (president of CB Unelco), visited the studios of Radio Club Tenerife to publicize the details barely a month after its celebration: “From the 16th to the 19th of December we will have a new edition in Santa Cruz, it will be the 24th edition of a tournament that is considered by FIBA as the second best grassroots tournament in Europe. The other two dates were complicated apart from living with the Euroleague tournament. They are good dates for the public to come “, commented Ramón.
Along with the Hospitalet tournament, the Santa Cruz tournament is considered the second best junior tournament in the country, something that makes the protagonists present in Cadena SER proud: “It has a deep-rooted tradition, it is consolidated. For two years we have been counting on the support from Fred Olsen Express. The meeting to continue counting on them lasted two minutes, for two editions we have had them, Lorenzo Spinelli (responsible for the shipping company) helped us from the first moment “, remembering Paco Chinea the beginnings of this tournament : “David Martín was the president, there were two tournaments, one in Gran Canaria and another here. The first edition was held in La Laguna. Estudiantes came, Gran Canaria …”, adding: “Many very good players have passed. The first edition was won by Unelco at Zaragoza and the sports councilor of the Santa Cruz city council was Jose Manuel Bermúdez, today mayor “.
The beginnings and the first editions of the tournament were complicated. However, Paco Chinea fondly remembers them: “We have the list of players, NBA, ACB, Leb Oro, Leb Plata. Organizing a tournament of these characteristics takes a long time. Before it was paid earlier than now -with laughter-. The subject of subsidies is very important. “
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