Hestia Menorca is one of the most powerful clubs in the LEB Plata. Immersed in the fight for promotion, the Balearic team occupies second place in the Eastern group of the third division of Spanish basketball with a balance of 20-5, just one win from CB Prat. However, his imprint goes beyond the field, it is an important part of the sports essence of an entire island that this weekend he was able to deepen in the club’s sports and social project through the Basket Menorca Cup.
The tournament, promoted by the Balearic team and which is now in its second edition, took place from Friday March 31 to Monday April 4 and brought together almost 500 participants in 40 different teams divided by categories: Mini, Children, Cadet and Junior both in male and female. The 64 games played were played in four different venues (Maó and Es Castell sports centers and those of Menorca and Pare Petrus) and they had as champions Virgen de Atocha (F) and CB Boscos, CD Alcázar B and Olimpico 64 (M) in Children; CD Alcázar, San Agustín 08 and CB La Salle Mahón (M) and Olímpico 64, Menorca (FBIB) and San Agustín 07 (F) in Cadet and San Agustín F, in Junior.
The players of the Hestia Menorca first team were directly involved in the development of the tournament. On the one hand, those attending the Basket Menorca Cup enjoyed live the victory of the team coached by Javi Zamora against Lobe La Magia Huesca (80-69) and, on the other, in the BMC contests, whose final ‘battle’ they faced the most skilled players with Diego Alderete, Pablo González Longarela, Álex Tamayo and Nacho Varela, in shooting, Edwin Jackson and Pol Molins, in skills, and Emil Stoilov, in dunks.
“The more than 450 players and their families, the almost 50 coaches and all the members of the organization have lived together under a magical atmosphere, creating extraordinary bonds. I am very grateful to all the people who have made it possible”, assured Zamora.
But the championship went beyond the parquet. Half a hundred participants attended a talk to learn about the mental health awareness project #MatealEstigmain which some of them had worked before moving to Menorca, with drawings that reflected their vision of the relationship between physical activity and mental health.
And there was also room for claims. During the match played between the juniors All Star and San Agustín, the Manifesto for Equality and the Participation of Women in the World of Physical Activity and/or Sportan initiative of the Ona Project in which SportsIB, Consell Insular de Menorca and Menorca, Illa de l’Esport collaborate.
The Basket Menorca Cup also brought young people closer to their island. To its nature, its heritage and its history. Port d’Addaia was the scene of a kayak outing run by Sports Kayak to get to know and enjoy one of the corners of the Menorcan north coast while they applied themselves to mastering their boats. There was also time to visit the Illa del Rei, an interesting enclave in the port of Maó that has been carefully cared for for many years by the Isla del Rey Hospital Foundation and this past weekend the Hauser&Wirth art center inaugurated its third season.
And, finally, players and staff members have been able to learn about the services of Numa, a company specialized in health and sports equipment, which has among its strengths those related to recovery after practicing sports. This activity, together with the #MatealEstigma, has made it possible to project the integral benefit – physical and mental – that sport has on the well-being and health of people.
“It has been 4 very intense days full of emotions and an unforgettable experience. I believe that we have fulfilled the objectives of encouraging and promoting the practice of island basketball, strengthening and consolidating the values of the sport and promoting Menorca and its sustainable tourism”, continued the coach and sports director of the club.
The tournament was sponsored by Turismo de Menorca and the collaboration of Maó Town Hall, Es Castell Town Hall, CD Alcázar and the Balearic Islands Basketball Federation and the support of Artiem, Barba-Rossa, Carreras Center, Central de Autocares , Coinga, Xoriguer Distilleries, Hestia Foundation, Gleam Island, La Paella, Mr. Mood, Numa, Pura Menorca, Sa Plaça-Mercat des Claustre, Sethotels, Sport Kayak, Tapes, Trofeus Dani and Wibo.
