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On 25 and 26 March, Bilbao will become the centre of the third edition of the ‘Woman, Health and Sport’ Tour, which Iberdrola is promoting in several provincial capitals to enhance the role and presence of women in the sports world. The event is intended to show women as an active and fundamental part of sport in Spain.

During the presentation of the event, the Iberdolra Institutional Relations manager for the Basque Country, Francisco Olarreaga; the Iberdrola Sponsorship manager, Carmen Cabrera; the Bilbao City Council Youth and Sports Councillor, Oihane Agirregoitia; and the Director of OéOé Marketing, Ignacio Solana, explained the programme of activities for this edition, which will be held to coincide with the beginning of the Iberdrola Shareholders’ Week, which will end on 31 March with the group’s Shareholders’ General Meeting.

For two days, the top names in women’s sport will be meeting in Bilbao. Olympic medallists like Maialen Chourraut, who won a gold medal in Río; Jessica Alonso, with a bronze medal in London; and Carolina Rodríguez, who received an Olympic diploma in Río and is the gymnast with the highest number of national awards, will be accompanied by two of the ‘Women’s Universe’ ambassadresses: Jennifer Pareja, the world’s top water polo player in 2013, and Ona Carbonell, captain of Spain’s synchronised swimming team.

The Tour will be installed in the Doña Casilda Park, an open space in the centre of the city that will have more than 1,500 m² set aside for sports and leisure activities related to the ten federations backed by Iberdrola: football, badminton, handball, volleyball, rugby, triathlon, canoeing, gymnastics, swimming and hockey.

The area is designed so that all members of the public can enjoy it, with group classes, talks on sport and a healthy lifestyle, as well as games for the kids. On Saturday 25, the event is open from 12pm to 8pm, and on Sunday from 11am to 3pm.

Iberdrola, the main driving force behind the Women's Universe programme

The ‘Women, Health and Sport’ Tour is part of the Higher Council for Sport's (CSD) ‘Women's Universe’ programme, of which Iberdrola has been the mainstay since last July. It is the first company in Spain to make a global commitment to promoting the participation of women in every area of sport.

Under the agreement with Spain’s Higher Council for Sport (CSD), the company supports various sports federations, including gymnastics, swimming, football, triathlon, badminton, canoeing and hockey, plus other possible additions in the future. These sports were selected on account of the extraordinary level of success achieved, the high participation rate, the existence of schemes to promote the sport at grass-roots level and other social projects.

Iberdrola is also one of the leading sponsors of the Spanish Paralympic Team and the Paralympic Sailing Team. It has been involved in the ADOP Plan since it was launched in 2005, and backed the Spanish Paralympic Team at the Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games. The group’s contribution to Paralympic sport was acknowledged in 2013 with the Olimpia Award from the Higher Council for Sport (CSD).