If you wish to publicise a sporting event, please contact our sports editor David Lugg: david.lugg@tomorrowalgarve.com
Chess
Margarida Correia has won the Under 18’s national women’s chess title. Margarida, who competes for the AFN Gil Eanes club in Lagos, took overall victory in the Youth ‘Speed Chess’ Championships. The Algarve was represented by a delegation of 13 players, all from the Gil Eanes club.
Judo
The president of the Portuguese Judo Federation (FPJ) has announced the cancellation of this year’s Portugal Grand Prix due to the institution’s dire financial situation. “We have to be realistic,” said Sérgio Pina. “We won’t be able to do this without strong support from those who are in charge of us. And that support isn’t happening. Each time we hold an event like this, we have to pay the International Judo Federation 250,000 euros and we do not have that capacity.”
Surfing
The world’s best surfers will return to Portugal between 15–25 March for Round 3 of the World Surf League. Located in Peniche, to the north of Lisbon, the event has become synonymous with good surf conditions and equally good entertainment, with 150,000 spectators attending the 10-day competition in 2024. Portugal is the only place in Europe where the World Tour will take place this year.
Algarve surfer Joana Schenker has begun her season with a creditable third place at the Bodyboard World Tour in Morocco. Schenker reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by the Japanese surfer Namika Yamashita. “It’s a good result to start my campaign on the 2025 World Tour,” commented Schenker. “Namika is very consistent. She was the fair winner of the event.”
Tennis
Nuno Borges and Jaime Faria have achieved a historic feat at the Australian Open. The two Portuguese players qualified for the second round of the tournament ensuring that Portugal had two representatives for the first time ever. Only once before has Portugal had two players in the second round of a Grand Slam, when Borges and João Sousa won their first-round matches at the US Open in 2022. Borges went on to reach the third before being knocked out by world number three Carlos Alcaraz.
E-sports
The Algarve Football Association (AFA) and Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) are preparing to launch the inaugural Algarve Virtual Football League. Scheduled to begin in March, the competition is open to players over the age of 16 and will focus on the EA Sports FC 25 game on the PlayStation 5.The AFA has been a pioneer in the development of e-sport at a national level. Last November, it organised the Algarve Challenge, becoming the first of the country’s 22 districts to promote an official e-sports tournament.
Handball
Portugal’s men’s team had an astonishing run at the Handball World Cup. Ranked as one of the tournament’s outsiders, they progressed through the group stages with some scintillating performances, including a shock 35-29 win over neighbours Spain. The quarter final took everyone by surprise as they beat heavy favourites Germany 31-30, the winning goal coming in the last second of the match. Portugal lost their semi-final to eventual winners Denmark, but it has been a tournament that has put them firmly on the handball map.
Rugby
The Portugal men’s rugby team finished top of Group B in the Rugby Europe Championship. After beating Belgium and Germany, they faced a potentially tricky away tie to Romania, but a comfortable 34-6 victory saw them cruise into the semi-finals. They now face old foes, Spain, in a home tie on 1 March. In reaching the semi-finals, Portugal also qualified for the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Portugal women’s side begin their Rugby Europe campaign with a home tie against current champions Spain on 29 March. They will then have away fixtures against the Netherlands and Sweden.
Algarve sport awards
The city of Portimão has hosted the annual Algarve Sports Awards. The ceremony has honoured its local champions and publicly recognised athletes and coaches who have excelled in the 2023/24 sporting season. Among those honoured were surfer Yolanda Hopkins and swimmer Miguel Nascimento, who both competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
World Cup Football
The 2030 World Cup, which Portugal, Spain and Morocco will co-host, is expected to bring in around 800 million euros to the country. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro revealed that the tournament will create “between eighteen to twenty-three thousand jobs” and an estimated “three hundred to five hundred thousand” extra visitors. Montenegro called the competition “a very positive moment” for the country.
Athletics
Algarve athlete Isaac Nader has set an astonishing new national 1500m record at the World Indoor Tour.Nader shaved almost two seconds off the previous best time, finishing in 3 minutes 32.59 seconds. In doing so, Nader has become the fourth fastest European of all time, though he is still three seconds slower than the great Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen in a time of 3 minutes 29.63 seconds.
Motorsport
The Superbike World Championship is returning to the Algarve this month. Held, as ever, at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão, the event will see many of the world’s best motorcyclists battle it out on one of Europe’s most exciting race tracks. Practice begins on 28 March, with Race 1 on 29 March and Race 2 on 30 March. Tickets can be purchased from www.worldsbk.com
