This week, nearly 300 schoolchildren participated in the 30th Candasnos School Athletics Days
Throughout the morning of Wednesday, April 24, the town of Candasnos hosted the organization of the XXX School Athletics Days, corresponding to the XXXIX Bajo Cinca Monegros Games and organized by the Candasnos City Council, CRA Montesnegros, the AMYPA of the town and the Bajo/Baix Cinca Region.
A day with a massive turnout of students from 18 schools, with nearly 300 students represented: Candasnos, Peñalba, Castejón de Monegros, Ontiñena, Chalamera, Ballobar, Velilla de Cinca, Torrente de Cinca, María Moliner Fraga, Miguel Servet Fraga, Santa Ana Fraga, San José Calasanz Fraga, Miralsot, Litera de Fraga, Zaidín, Osso de Cinca, Belver de Cinca, and Albalate de Cinca. This event was part of the San Marcos festival program, which the town celebrates at the end of April. Pleasant temperatures and perfectly maintained facilities provided ideal conditions for athletics, allowing the program of 24 events—including running, shot put, and long jump—to be completed without incident.
The town of Candasnos welcomed schoolchildren from the Bajo/Baix Cinca, Cinca Medio, and Monegros regions. The 18 schools represented were divided into pre-Benjamin, Benjamin, and Alevín categories, corresponding to grades 1 through 6, competing in long jump, sprint, shot put, endurance, and relay events.
The positive atmosphere and camaraderie among all participants were highlights throughout the morning, thus fulfilling one of the main objectives of these activities: prioritizing participation and educational values over competition. The Bajo Cinca Monegros Games are one of the most traditional school activities in practically all of Aragon, always held during school hours, with three events throughout the year: cross-country running, athletics, and traditional games.
At 9:30 a.m. the schoolchildren began to gather on the outskirts of the town next to the municipal swimming pool area. Once the different buses arrived and the participants were arranged by school with their corresponding sign, a parade was held to the football field facilities where the organization had prepared two long jump pits, a throwing area and an athletics track for the speed, endurance and relay events.
From 10:00 a.m. until almost 13:30 p.m., all the sporting events took place. As students finished their events, they took the opportunity to enjoy a snack and refreshments prepared by the local Parents' Association (AMYPA), which once again went above and beyond to help organize the event so that all participants could enjoy a well-deserved community lunch and replenish their energy.
The activities began with endurance tests, which ran concurrently with the long jump and shot put, followed by sprint events. The final sporting events took place in the late afternoon, including the sprint finals and team relays for the various schools represented in all categories.
The program of events was rounded out with the preschool students (ages 3, 4, and 5) also participating in three promotional speed races. This was their first experience with athletics and one of the editions with the highest participation, with more than 30 registered children. After the races, prizes and awards were presented to the top finishers, although all participants received a certificate as a memento of the day.
The awards ceremony was attended by the president of the Bajo/Baix Cinca region, José Javier Ferrer, the mayor of Candasnos, José Santiago Guallarte, the provincial deputy and mayor of Chalamera, Santiago Villas, the sports councilor of the Bajo/Baix Cinca region, Adolfo Sasot, the provincial director of education, Mónica Martínez, the director of the CRA Montesnegros, Raquel Sebastián, the advisor of the education programs unit, María Carmen Bescós and the PE teacher of the Cra Montenegros, Isabel Allesa.
This event marks the end of the Bajo/Baix Cinca Monegros Games, which this year spanned three days. They began in October 2023 with traditional games at the CRA Albeos school, continued in February with the Ontiñena school cross-country race, and concluded with athletics in Candasnos. Nearly 900 schoolchildren enjoyed the values of sport throughout the three days during school hours, reflecting the importance and deep roots of this sports and education program in schools in the southern part of the province of Huesca.
