The Canary Islands have become a prime training destination for the world's top athletes. Cyclists, swimmers, runners, sailors, beach volleyball players, and triathletes are among those who have selected the archipelago to prepare for major events, including the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
The Canary Islands already served as a training base for more than fifty Olympic medallists for Tokyo 2020, including stars like Adam Peaty (main image), Primoz Roglic (Cycling), Sifan Hassan (Athletics), Marcell Jacobs (Long Jump), Sandra Sánchez (Karate), Kahena Kunze (Sailing), and Florent Manaudou (swimming).
This year, over 2,500 elite athletes, 24% of the participants in the upcoming Paris Olympics, have chosen the Canary Islands for its natural and state-of-the-art facilities for their training camps.
“Unique climatic and natural characteristics, world-recognised facilities, sports recovery centres, excellent accommodation, and easy connectivity make us the ideal destination for professional sports training,” says Jessica de León, Tourism Minister for the Canary Islands.
Top swimming stars train at Tenerife Top Training, Club La Santa, Playitas Resort, and Lanzarote Active Resort. The French team, including Maxime Grousset and Mélanie Henique, the British Olympic and Paralympic team with Adam Peaty and Ellie Challis, and Swedish champion Sarah Sjöström have all trained here.
The Italian federation's training leader, Claudio Rosetto, praises the islands: “The Canary Islands are wonderful because of the climate. When it's very cold in Italy, you can swim outdoors and sunbathe here. The athletes are happier and more relaxed.”
Olympic triathlon champion Kristian Blummenfelt, the Czech modern pentathlon team, and the Chinese beach volleyball team have also trained at Tenerife Top Training. Since 2017, Marcell Jacobs, the 100m Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo 2020, has chosen the Antonio Domínguez Alfonso Olympic Stadium as his winter training base, favouring it over the Italian winter. Athletics federations from the UK, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Germany have opted for a La Palma Training Camp during the Olympic cycle.
The Canary Islands have long been a must-stop for cycling stars such as Tadej Pogaçar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, Chris Froome, and Wout van Aert. In sailing, four of the ten Olympic disciplines (49er, 49er FX, iQFOil men, and iQFOil women) held their world championships in Marina Rubicón, Lanzarote.
Olympic classes and top sailors train in the waters between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with windsurfing stars gathering for the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup and the world championship in Fuerteventura.
The Canary Islands Tourism Board and Eurosport have launched the campaign ‘Canary Islands. One Goal, One Destination. All Year-Round’, promoting the archipelago as the perfect destination for professional and semi-professional athletes. The campaign, which started airing in April, features sports legends Alberto Contador, Katinka Hosszú, and Iwan Thomas.
“Professional sports tourism is of great strategic value for our destination as it allows us to diversify segments, attract more loyal visitors, and create new business opportunities while developing local sports talent,” explains de León.
Last year, the sports training segment brought 120,000 tourists, including athletes and their companions, to the Canary Islands, generating an estimated economic return of 160 million euros. Athletes' average stay was 10.32 days, with some sports like swimming and cycling extending up to between 21-30 days.
Visitors from mainland Spain, Germany, and the UK make up 44.5% of these athletes, with significant numbers also coming from the Nordic countries, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France.
José Juan Lorenzo, Managing Director of Canary Islands Tourism, highlights the benefits: “In addition to increasing the average stay and rejuvenating the Canary Islands brand, this segment boosts the tourism value chain, benefiting sectors such as physiotherapy, sports medicine, and dietetics.”
The Canary Islands have firmly established themselves as the ultimate destination for elite sports training, playing a crucial role in preparing many athletes for Paris 2024.
