The Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Culture, Luiz Fagundes Duarte, starts today the delivery of prizes awarded under the 13th Azorean Sports Gala, a ceremony that will take place on several islands. The first session will be held in Ponta Delgada at Teatro Micaelense at 7 PM.

This Gala, which will be held on several islands, will distinguish 76 entities, including athletes, sports leaders and clubs on the islands of S. Miguel, Terceira, São Jorge, Pico and Faial.

In the personality category, the recipients of the award as follows: Mário Andrade, 35 years as volleyball coach at various clubs on the island of S. Miguel; Mário Duarte, 30 years as judo coach on Terceira Island; Luís Martins, 30 years as head of the automobile section of Terceira Automóvel Clube; José Viegas, 30 years as a judge and regatta race officer on S. Miguel; Luís Carvalho, 25 years as leader of Maia Clube dos Açores.

In the same category the following personalities were also distinguished for the 20 years of activity in the area of sport: António Godinho, Clube Juvenil Boa Viagem; Eduardo Pereira, Associação de Futebol da Horta; Emanuel Ferreira, Grupo Desportivo de S. Roque on S. Miguel; Geraldo Andrade as figure skating coach of Clube de Patinagem de Santa Cruz on S. Miguel; Jaime Vieira, Clube Desportivo de Rabo de Peixe; José Medeiros, Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada; José Mourão, Grupo Desportivo da Casa do Povo do Cabo da Praia.

In the category of National Results and Scores and International Participation (individual sports), the list of awarded athletes is the following: Elisa Pacheco (athletics); Ricardo Bento Moura (motorsport); Alice Preto e Maria Medeiros (aerobics); Gonçalo Rodrigues (jet ski); Carlos Cruz, Daniela Chaves and Luís Paz (judo); André Caus, César Furtado, Henrique Melo, João Leite, Márcio Moniz and Solange Parreira (kickboxing); António Cleto and Hélder Raposo (shooting sport).

Athletes André Dutra, Ricardo Pereira and Nuno Ferreira (athletics), and André Bicudo and Henrique Cruz (swimming) will be distinguished in the category of adapted sports.

As for the collective sports category, the recipients of the award are as follows: Associação de Jovens da Fonte do Bastardo; Candelária Sport Clube; Clube de Atividades Gímnicas de Ponta Delgada; Clube de Kickboxing de Arrifes; Clube de Patinagem da Vila da Capelas; Clube de Patinagem de Santa Cruz; Clube Desportivo Ribeirense; Clube União Sportiva; Grupo Desportivo da Casa do Povo da Madalena; Grupo Desportivo da Casa do Povo de Santo António do Pico; Grupo Desportivo do Centro Social do Juncal; Grupo Desportivo Salão Recreativo dos Toledos; Marítimo Sport Clube; Sporting Club da Horta and Volei Clube de S. Miguel.

Athlete Marta Magalhães from Clube de Ténis de S. Miguel will be distinguished in the category of high performance athletes.

The initiative will also honour the following athletes for their participation in national teams: gymnasts Ana Janeiro, Inês Botelho, Laura Monteiro, Luana Minucci, Sara Sardinha, and Sara Silva; judokas André Soares, Filipe Soares, João Viveiros, Maria Sousa, Nuno Carvalho, Pedro Soares, Rafael Cordeiro and Tiago Rodrigues; golf players Luís Índio and Ricardo Garcia; kickboxing athletes Davide Ferreira, Frederico Ferreira and Renato Costa; figure skater Cátia Rebelo; table tennis players Patrícia Maciel and Raquel Andrade; skipper Rui Silveira and volleyball player Dulce Machado.
 
The Azorean Sports Gala aims to pay tribute and distinguish sports agents, school sport entities and sports associations that distinguished themselves in 2013 for the results and scores achieved as well as for their the contribution they have provided to the development of regional sport, which is acknowledged by the Regional Government.

Bearing in mind this purpose, the event will be held on several islands in order to bring the population closer to athletes, clubs, sports and their leaders.

The Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Culture, Luiz Fagundes Duarte, will also chair the prize-delivery ceremony in Angra do Heroísmo on Tuesday at 7 PM.