The Mayor of Sopela, Guruzne Carrasson, and the Councilor for Sports, Itziar Lazaro, have officially presented the second edition of the Sopela Pala ProAm tournament. The event was also attended by Kurune, head of the Sopela pelota club, and several of the players participating in the championship.
This new edition marks a new phase focused on self-management. The tournament stands out for its peculiar and innovative format: although played in pairs, there are no fixed pairings. This means combinations will change each day until all forwards have played with all defenders. Matches will be played to 3 sets (the first two to 15 points and the third, if necessary, to 10 points). Once the league phase is over, forwards and defenders will be mixed according to their classification to compete in the semifinals and the grand final.
All matches will be held in Sopela starting at 7:30 PM. Each festival will consist of two matches. The first day will be on November 16th, and the grand final will take place on December 14th at 7:30 PM.
The pairings for the first day were drawn today, with the duels as follows: First match: Iñaki Urrutia and Román Maldonado against Asier del Rio and Pablo Fuster. Second match: Ibai Perez and Esteban Gaubeka against Iker Gordon and Jagoba Madariaga.
The organization reminds attendees that tickets and passes for the matches are already on sale. Additionally, to encourage participation, the City Council will raffle two double tickets through its social media channels.
“"It is a great honor for Sopela to have the opportunity to see high-level players up close. Athletes who have participated in the world championship and won very important medals will compete. Not only for bringing this tournament forward, but for the immense work they do throughout the year for pelota and for Sopela. After all, they offer us the opportunity to enjoy healthy and active leisure, starting with Euskera as our language and protecting and promoting our culture and traditions."
