Sport plays a big part on Spaniards lives and that of many expats who often find themselves with more more time than they ever had. Many take up a new sport whilst others have more time to practise or watch a long time favourite. Among the Spanish soccer is a religion but many other sports are played at the very highest level. There are many world class golf courses with new ones being opened at a phenomenal rate and Spain has a long history of success at both water sports and tennis. Whilst the caricature of every Spaniard as a matador is as inaccurate as the long-held belief that all Englishmen wear bowler hats and carry a briefcase, bullfighting is still hugely popular in many areas of the country. That said it is now banned in certain regions whilst other towns and cities are considering their positions on the "sport", "art" or "act of barbarism." (Everybody has an opinion!) What is also clear is that those who actually attend the events (las corridas) tend to be the older generation whilst the younger generation are more likely to know the tennis, soccer or F1 stars. To learn more visit www.mundo-taurino.org
Even if your sport is cricket or rugby there is likely to be a club within "striking" distance especially in the big expat areas. For details of rugby visit Villajoyosa Rugby Club www.rugbylavila.net and cricket www.cricketeurope.net Bowling is very popular among the expats along the coast with many clubs catering for beginners and experts a like and the Scandinavians have "imported" petanca a game very similar to the French boules in many coastal areas.
Formula One fans flock to Jerez de la Frontera and throughout Spain there are tracks for all types of bike and auto racing. Horse racing is not hugely popular among the Spanish and the excellent course at Mijas Costa on the Costa del Sol is patronised mainly by the huge British and Irish communities in the South. This is something that has long fascinated me given the Spaniards' excellent reputation for all types of horsemanship (Please visit Paso Finos and The World of Spanish Horses, as below).
Returning to Europe for the first time in over 150-years, the programme for the 32nd America's Cup reflects the importance of this occasion.
There is an ambitious four-year schedule of regattas commencing in 2004, each one a distinct Act in the drama of the 32nd America's Cup. The climax will be the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup Match itself in 2007.
Never before has the America's Cup consisted of such an ambitious programme. For the first time, the America's Cup season consists of more than just the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup Match.
These opening Acts will be a mixture of fleet and match races in a variety of venues, and open to all.
This concept of a series of Acts is a big evolution for the America's Cup. In the modern era, post 1958, the gap between competitions has been as high as five years; a situation described by one notable Cup sailor as being "rather a long time between drinks."
In an effort to make America's Cup racing a more regular feature on the sailing calendar, the series of preliminary Acts has been developed to ensure there is America's Cup competition in each year leading up to the 2007 Match. These Acts allow the teams to measure themselves alongside their fellow competitors at each event, and keep race fans firmly focused on America's Cup racing.
Each successive Act will take on increasing importance as the Match draws nearer, and each is expected to be a ranking tool for the early rounds of the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2007.
What we currently think of as the America's Cup - the Louis Vuitton Cup, and the Match itself - will be much shorter than what we've experienced in the recent past. While these events were spread across five months over the past four America's Cup cycles, they will be concentrated over just three months in 2007, a short, sharp, intense period of racing.
Overall, the new schedule represents an important evolution for the America's Cup. While the Cup season itself is much shorter, the leading Acts ensure meaningful, dramatic, America's Cup racing takes place each year, and allows the America's Cup to go 'on tour', visiting different venues, and bringing the excitement and spectacle of this wonderful event to new audiences.
In 2007, the final Act will be an opening Fleet race, for all the competitors of the 32nd America's Cup. After that, the Challengers will square off in the Louis Vuitton Cup, to determine who will race Team Alinghi in the 32nd America's Cup Match
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