The Oviedo Cup celebrates its good health and looks at Mexico and Japan

2023-07-14 04:15:00

The Oviedo Cup, with enviable health, established at the national level as an unavoidable event and with a great future ahead, wants to continue growing internationally and is committed to increasing the number of teams, especially looking at Mexico and Japan. The promoters of this grassroots football tournament –Nacho Canal, Antonio Mendez-Navia, Jose Angel Fernandez, Chus Hevia y Dani Castelao– which attracts thousands of people to the region every year at Easter, yesterday collected the “Asturian of the month” award for April from LA NUEVA ESPAÑA and reflected on the challenges of the tournament, which has become an economic engine of the city. “The Oviedo Cup represents the best sports values ​​among young people, attracts many families to Asturias and is a boost for activity in the city”, he assured Gonzalo Martinez Peondirector of LA NUEVA ESPAÑA, accompanied at the award ceremony by edward suareznewspaper manager.

Both gave the organizers of the Oviedo Cup a special first page of LA NUEVA ESPAÑA, which contains the news of the award, as well as the bronze stele created by Jose Manuel Legazpi and a caricature of paul garcia, cartoonist for the newspaper, who made the winners very excited. All called it an “honor” to be awarded this “so prestigious” distinction.

The Oviedo Cup was promoted in 2006 by Chus Hevia, José Ángel Fernández and Nacho Canal, good friends and all linked to football. Its growth was spectacular in a short time since that edition, which brought together 42 teams. Now there are more than five hundred. The working group was later joined by Dani Castelao and Antonio Méndez-Navia, “Ñon”. The tournament, which moves some 35,000 people, wants to continue growing abroad and the organizers assure that there are already Mexican teams interested in participating. The arrival of the Pachuca and Orlegi groups, to Oviedo and Sporting, could also favor the leap to the continent. Another challenge is to recover Japanese teams, since many were lost from the pandemic.

The Oviedo Cup celebrates its good health and looks at Mexico and Japan

Chus Hevia, one of the initial promoters, thanked the award, calling it “a very important recognition that makes us very excited.” For Hevia, the present of the Oviedo Cup is guaranteed and although growth is difficult because there are problems in meeting all the requests, “we are going to try to improve every day”. For José Ángel Fernández, the Oviedo Cup is “excitement, desire and satisfaction; the secret is work and dedication”.

Nacho Canal, for his part, remembered and recalled the difficult moments since the first edition. “The pandemic marked us a lot. When we had to suspend the tournament it was very hard, but we were able to recover. The Oviedo Cup is my life: it is a job that takes all year,” he said.

Antonio Méndez-Navia and Dani Castelao, who joined the work team later, agreed that the “children’s illusion is impressive and exciting to grow up”. The Oviedo Cup, “Asturian of the month”, already an Asturian classic, has a great future, the winners agreed.