Margarita del Cid, Mayor of Torremolinos: "We are more than ready".

15 March, 2024

Margarita del Cid, Mayor of Torremolinos: "We are more than ready to host the Triathlon World Championship Finals".

Just a few days after the confirmation that Torremolinos-Andalucia will host the World Triathlon Championship Finals, we spoke with Margarita del Cid, Mayor of Torremolinos. The event, which will take place from 17 to 20 October, will undoubtedly be one of the major sporting events of the year and has the support of its official sponsor, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Andalusian Government and the Provincial Council of Malaga and the City of Torremolinos.

QUESTION: What does it mean for Torremolinos to host the World Triathlon Championship Finals, undoubtedly one of the major sporting events to be held this year in our country?

ANSWER. It is excellent news for a city that has a very special relationship with sport, a segment for which we are strongly committed to its tourist component, but also social. And an event of this caliber is going to be a challenge, but also a declaration of intentions about what Torremolinos is capable of doing and organizing.

Q. The streets, squares, the promenade, and monuments of Torremolinos will be seen in all corners of the world through television, it will certainly be something very important for the city, right?

A. Undoubtedly, it will be an excellent opportunity to show our paradise, its beaches, its special places. In a reduced space, we have a diversity of outstanding places that I am convinced will attract the attention of all the audience that follows the World Triathlon Championship Finals.

Q. Is Torremolinos ready to host an event like this? Infrastructure, hotel capacity, communications, transportation?

A. It is more than ready. Torremolinos is the municipality of Malaga with the largest accommodation capacity. Forty percent of the places on the Costa del Sol are located here. And besides, we are just a few minutes from Malaga Airport, which will undoubtedly make communications during the previous days, the arrival of athletes and fans, easy to manage. In any case, we have been working from day one, hand in hand with the Federation, to prepare the city for a few days that are going to be intense but that we are looking forward to with great enthusiasm.

Q. In addition to the athlete, Torremolinos will host a number close to 15,000 people, coming from all over the world, what are they going to find, what will they be able to know ...?

A. They will find a friendly city, which will embrace them from the first minute, where they will be able to walk along the shore at a time of the year, autumn, which offers magical sunsets. They will also be able to practice sports and outdoor activities, because we have a wonderful natural environment such as our mountains, with hiking trails and trail. You will also be able to enjoy our excellent gastronomy, with a wide range of restaurants, either in the city or on the beach, with our famous beach bars. And if you come with time, I encourage you to walk around Torremolinos and visit unique places such as the Casa de los Luque Navaja, La Nogalera, San Miguel street, Pueblo Blanco, La Carihuela or Bajondillo. There is a lot to see and enjoy in Torremolinos.

Q. What message do you want to send to the world of Torremolinos?

A. That we are a city that loves sports, that is prepared for the practice of sports in a unique environment and with very special physical and climatic conditions. That it is a place where you can come at any time of the year to enjoy your best days, those in which you need to rest, stop a little rhythm and enjoy life. Torremolinos is the origin of paradise, that is our motto, and that is what we want to show.

Q. Is Torremolinos an ideal place to practice sports?

A. Undoubtedly and for many reasons. Because it has a coastal strip prepared for it, being able to cross the whole city through its promenade. Because it is also, due to its special orography, a place that combines city with mountains, and that is something that expands the possibilities of sports practice by having natural spaces that are not easy to find in other coastal destinations. And because, in addition, we have excellent facilities in our Sports Village, which attracts athletes from all over the world and throughout the year, who come here to train in many different disciplines.

Q. Does Torremolinos have any relation with triathlon?

A. It does in that here in Torremolinos the sport is lived very intensely, and there are many people who practice some of the disciplines that make up the triathlon, and I know that they are enthusiastic since they learned that we would host the Final; as is the case of the Torremolinos Triathlon Club, especially active and involved.
In fact, Torremolinos has its own triathlon event, which is held on April 28, or the indoor triathlon, which has more than three decades of history and was the first of its kind to be held in the province of Malaga.

Q. What feedback have you received on the street once the news that you will host the World Triathlon Championship Finals was made public?

A. There is a lot of desire, a lot of illusion and, above all, a feeling of pride to see that Torremolinos is going to be the world capital of sport for a few days, hosting an event as special as this one and that is going to attract so much attention in the sports field.