Mayor Natalia Chueca and the Councilor for Sports, Felix Brocate, received the directors of ACES Europe, the entity that awards this distinction.
The City Council presented the dossier, which details the new sports facilities that the city will build in the coming years: Nueva Romareda, Ciudad Inteligente del Deporte, CDM Distrito Sur and CDM Almozara.
Zaragoza has formally presented the documentation and dossier to apply for the European Capital of Sport 2026. The Mayor, Natalia Chueca, the Councilor for the Presidency, Ángel Lorén, the Councilor for Finance and European Funds, Blanca Solans, and the Councilor for Sports, Félix Brocate, received today the delegation from ACES Europe -the entity that awards this distinction- headed by Gonzalo Cuesta and Antonio Grande.
Zaragoza inspires sport’ is the slogan with which the Aragonese capital opts for the status of European Capital of Sport. An initiative framed within the City Council’s commitment to place sport as an intrinsic part of the city model, with a double objective: to promote healthy lifestyle habits among the entire population, in increasingly sustainable and emission-free environments; and, at the same time, to reinforce the policy of attracting national and international events that put Zaragoza on the map and generate positive impacts in economic, social and media terms.
The city of Zaragoza will make a qualitative leap in sports facilities in the coming years, with historic public and private investments totaling more than 200 million euros: the New Romareda, the Smart City of Sport, the Almozara Municipal Sports Center and the South District Municipal Sports Center. Public-private collaboration will be essential to make these projects promoted by the Zaragoza City Council a reality.
In addition, the municipal government has ratified its commitment to the promotion of green infrastructure, areas for walking, cycling and sports within a culture of promoting and encouraging the practice of sports to improve health and quality of life.
As for the attraction of events, this is a line of work that, in the last year alone, has borne fruit in the organization of the Copa de la Reina basketball tournament, the return of La Vuelta cycling this 2023, the match of the Spanish national soccer team 19 years later, the Spain-Brazil indoor soccer match, the FIM Rally of moto-tourism, the national finals of esports, the Spanish Marathon Championship, the Spanish Championship of rhythmic gymnastics or the Asobal Cup of handball, among others.
Among the challenges for the coming years, the Zaragoza City Council is already working to host the King’s Cup in basketball in 2026 and the World Cup in soccer in 2030.
ACES Europe is a non-profit association based in Brussels that allocates each year the recognition of European Capital of Sport, with the aim of promoting private and public initiative to increase support for sport, not only from a professional point of view, but also as a channel of social cohesion and to improve the health and quality of life of citizens.
Sustainable and climate-neutral city
Zaragoza’s candidacy for the European Capital of Sport 2026 is conceived as a transversal strategy, which understands sport as a tool for social cohesion. It is also part of Zaragoza’s commitment to move towards a sustainable city model, committed to the environment, more comfortable, pleasant and that encourages physical exercise as a way to promote physical and mental health. Thus, the promotion of sport is part of the initiative to consolidate Zaragoza as one of the 100 smart and climate-neutral cities.
For all these reasons, the slogan ‘Zaragoza inspires sport’ has been chosen, with a double message that speaks of inspiration as an action linked to the improvement of air quality, health and the environment. The same concepts are integrated in the poster, with floral elements that inspire the shape of two lungs.
