Sports in Tenerife

In Tenerife you can do a lot of sports, both outdoor and in the various facilities available throughout the island.

Among canarios sports practiced on the island include:

Lucha canaria

The fight takes place inside a circle, usually sand, called the ground.  In Tenerife there are 26 Terreros, used by 26 men and two German women’s teams. The island also has a league organized by the school council and a program to promote the sport launched by institutions, federations and clubs.

Palo canario

The game of the club canary is a martial art that is practiced between two players, without actually making contact with each other’s body.  They then fight with sticks and  was a method of combat used by the pre canarios.

In Tenerife there are the following federated clubs:

Club-Acosta School of Campitos.
School-Club today.
Club-School Maragata.
Club-School Tagoror Chiregua.
Club-Bijache Group of Arafo.
Club-Chimenchia Group Las Canteras.
Club-Hirgwan Group.

Bola canaria

Similar to the French game of boules, it is a sport that basically consists of adding points by launching balls that should be left as close to an object (MINGA or bowl). It is played on a rectangular area of sand or soil between 18 and 25 m in length and a width of between 3.5 and 6 m. Tenerife compets at federal level and there are thirty teams which are divided into three categories (first, second and second B) and the teams can be mixed.

Rural Sports

On the island there are other sports-related activities, such as lifting stones and hauling livestock, the latter is growing more popular and has a tournament organized by the Association of Drag Canaria.

Water Sports

The sea conditions and weather make the island suitable for practicing a wide variety of water sports.

Surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding

On the island you can take part in traditional surfing, gliding over the waves on top of a board, or windsurfing where the board moves through a sailing and kite surfing is the most recent.

The island has ten schools, including one owned by the town, and several courses devoted to learning these sports. The main areas for the practice of these disciplines are the Medano, Playa de Las Americas, the coast of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Guimar and the Orotava Valley.  These are mostly on the beach in Los Realejos Relief. Some of them have conducted several tests of the Grand Slam points for the World Cup in the disciplines of “waves”, “Slalom” and “race course”.

Diving

As with surfing and windsurfing, you can find schools of diving along the coast of Tenerife. On the island there are thirty points of immersion spread around the coast where you can find not only an interesting flora and marine fauna, but also the remains of sunken ships. Among the best sites for diving include among others, Las Galletas, Playa Paraiso and Punta de la Rasca south and Garachico, Puerto de la Cruz or Punta de Teno north.

In Tenerife there are a large number of diving clubs, both for practice and for learning. Species like the loggerhead turtle, a colony of pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins are frequently spotted.  These two cetacean species live permanently in the channel between Tenerife and La Gomera.
Bottlenose dolphin.

Swimming is one of the most practiced sports in both pools and on the shores of the island. This is not just swimming but also water polo, but with Martianez Swimming Club in the Division of Honor of the Spanish National League and synchronized swimming, In Tenerife there are sixteen swimming federation teams:

Agrupacion Deportiva Santa Cruz
Agrupacion Deportiva Delicias
The Alameda Swimming Club
High Pass Military Sports Club
Swimming Club Don Bosco
Echeyde Swimming Club
Swim Club Arona-Los Cristianos
Luther King School Swim Club
Swim Club Martianez
Real Club Nautico de Tenerife
Royal Swim Club
Teneteide Swimming Club
Tenerife Masters Swimming Club
Swim Club Teima
Tensalus Swimming Club
Swim Club Ademi

Of course, also practiced are various forms of water sports on board vessels. These sports compete in the Island Sailing competitions: latina; Laser; Snipe; or Cruise Optimist for example.

Another sport that could be involved in this category are the fishing clubs on the island.  It is also possible to develop maritime excursions for this purpose. There is also championship island fishing.

Aerial sports

Aerial sports such as skydiving and paragliding all play a role in the Los Realejos International Paragliding Festival (FLYPA).  Highlights include:

Izana South and North Izana: Cordillera Dorsal (Izana, 2350 meters high), 31 km and       34 km from the ridge road TF-24 La Laguna – Las Canadas
The Crown (Los Realejos)
Los Patos (St. Ursula)
Cross, Lajita (Orotava)
Tierra del Trigo (The Silos)
The Giants (Teno)
Mesa del Mar (TF)
Teno Alto
Mirador de El Tanque (The Tank)
Slope of Guimar (Guimaras)
Las Gaviotas (Santa Cruz)
Valle de San Lorenzo (Roque de Jama)
Mountain Fasnia (Fasnia)
Ifonche and Taucha (Arona – Adeje)

Motor Sport

Motor sport occupies a significant place in Tenerife. Motocross, karting and rallies are three varieties found on the island. Throughout the year there are competitions to rally in their various specialties for the regional championship of the Canary Islands. These are the Northern Rally Island of Tenerife, Granadilla Rally and Rally Villa de Adeje.

Other sports

In addition to the above, other sports are practiced on the island for which the following is a small list:

Volleyball

Volleyball is the most successful sport on the island with the Female European Champion Club Voleibol Tenerife involved in the Spanish Superliga. Two others worth a mention are the Volleyball Club Aguer (female) and (male) Arona Playa de las Americas, both of whom compete in the men’s volleyball Super league. As a result of the success of different volleyball clubs there is an increasing interest in this sport in Tenerife.

Football

As in much of the rest of Spain, football is the sport most followed and practiced by the entire island. Tenerife Football Federation has a total of 305 teams competing at the federal level in the different set of pitches that are distributed in the island territory. Furthermore, the best example of Tenerife Football refers is Club Deportivo Tenerife, int the Spanish first division.

Basketball

In Tenerife it is also possible to play basketball, football, volleyball and handball, karate, etc. Many schools offer the opportunity to learn and develop this sport. There are several teams on the island specifically, LEB league teams: the Rural Tenerife and Canary Basketball Club.

Walking

The extensive network of existing roads on the island allows hiking. Many associations and companies organize these trips for walks through the hills, mountains or roads on the island. This includes canyoning, a specialty that can involve inaccessible places and highlights great natural beauty. Anyone can walk there as the cliffs are on many levels.

Given the nature and uniqueness of each ravine you require ropes and climbing equipment to practice rappelling techniques. Although there are canyons where the practice is prohibited, there are four ravines specially authorized for the decline:

Barranco del Carrizal
Barranco de Masca
Barranco Seco
Barranco del Rio

Golf

Golf is a sport that Tenerife has good and extensive facilities for. However, it is a discipline based primarily on tourism and makes substantial amounts of money for the island.  In return it consumes a large amount of limited water resources available. There are a total of nine golf courses:

Real Club de Golf de Tenerife
Abama Golf
Golf Las Americas
Golf Costa Adeje
Golf del Sur
Amarilla Golf & Country Club
Centro de Golf Los Palos
Buenavista Golf
The Golf Rosaleda

Others

Various sports like cycling, paddle tennis, tennis, squash, horse riding, judo, the frontenis, athletics club in Tenerife CajaCanarias and so on complete the sports of Tenerife.