Yesterday marked the start of the 2025 Spanish University Surfing Championship, organised by the European University of the Atlantic (UNEATLANTICO).
Somo Beach, known for its excellent surfing conditions, has hosted the Spanish University Surfing Championship for the second time in its history. The event kicked off yesterday, 7 May, with free training sessions and the opening ceremony, which was attended by prominent figures such as Susana Ruiz Núñez, Director General of Sport for Cantabria, Francisco Asón Pérez, Mayor of Ribamontán al Mar, and a delegation from UNEATLANTICO led by the Vice-Rector for Academic Planning and Teaching Staff, Silvia Aparicio.
During the opening ceremony, Josep Alemany, Director of the Physical Activity and Sports Service (SAFD) at UNEATLANTICO, formally welcomed the athletes to the championship and introduced the championship organisers. For her part, the Vice-Rector of UNEATLANTICO, Silvia Aparicio, emphasised the importance of continuing to promote university tournaments.
Along these lines, the mayor of Ribamontán al Mar, Francisco Asón Pérez, invited the athletes to enjoy memorable moments in their region and thanked UNEATLANTICO for its confidence in organising the tournament in Somo once again.
Representing the Government of Cantabria, Susana Ruiz, Director General of Sport for Cantabria, once again invited the athletes to enjoy the tournament and encouraged camaraderie despite it being an individual sport. Estefan Martínez Martín, president of the Cantabrian Surfing Federation, emphasised that the most important thing is for the athletes to have a good time, enjoy themselves and enjoy the event.
Likewise, Mr Brian Sánchez, delegate of the Spanish University Sports Committee (CEDU), gave a positive message regarding the weather in Somo; he also highlighted the growth of the championship in just one year and the importance of the championship continuing to reach more universities. Finally, Ms Marta Fernández, representative of the Higher Sports Council, emphasised that the Higher Sports Council supports university sport and will seek to promote it even more. This championship demonstrates that university sport is extremely important and that sporting careers should be encouraged.
For his part, Pedro Gutiérrez, secretary of the Cantabrian Surfing Federation and competition director, gave a positive assessment of the first day of the Championship due to the large number of participants this year, highlighting the participation of universities from the Canary Islands and Andalusia, together with federated surfers from Morocco, Spain and the Dominican Republic.
The surfing competition continued today, 8 May, with the individual and team competitions.