FNI/INF has placed its trust in only one
country, Spain, to hold every event, but for ‘petanca’,
for the first time since its founding 52 years ago. Now that
the Swimming Gala, the last of these events, is over, we can
proudly declare that this confidence placed in us has been
ratified and strengthened. Our country has been the centre
of world Naturism the same year we, at the FEN, have been
commemorating our own 25th anniversary.
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Our female team |
Our
male team |
The Swimming Gala has more than fulfilled our expectations:
1.- Throughout 2006 there has been an increase in the number
of new ANAPA, (the organising federation), members as a result
of the publicity in the local and regional mass media. Many
of these new members have been very actively involved, professionally,
in the promotion of Naturism. Some examples:
a) With the help of a computer professional who is one of
these new members, ANAPA has developed software to run the
Gala. He will also be in charge of ANAPA’s WEB.
b) A cinema director and a new member has been shooting a
documentary on the event to be passed out among the different
associations and federations, and also sponsors.
c) The owners of two rural houses have joined to dedicate
both to Naturism. One will be a hostel, the other the future
ANAPA central offices.
d) A photographer member designed the promotional poster and
took pictures of the event.
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2.- Involvement and institutional cooperation were not just
key conditions for making this event possible but also for
any other eventual undertakings. A solid basis has been laid
for both the spread of Naturist recreation and for short and
long term Naturist tourism. Gijón City Hall, one of
the signatories of the FEN agreement, was most involved, providing
a place for press releases, awarding medals, and promoting
the event at all levels. We also received support from the
sports foundation, which provided € 1400; Info-Asturias
(the equivalent organisation of Turespaña insofar as
foreign promotion goes); the council for Culture, Social Communication
and Tourism of the autonomous Asturias Government and from
Gijón.info (a Society for Tourism), whose director
met the FEN president at the start and addressed those present
at the Gala dinner. This society, which acts for Turespaña
in Asturias, also provided € 9375 for the event. All
of them have given the institutional support we wished for.
A councilman from Carreño Town Hall (a town near Gijón)
has got in touch with ANAPA to study the possibility of having
a Naturist Week in 2007, exhibiting films, photographs and
paintings, holding the 1st International Beach Volleyball
Championship and other Naturist events.
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3.- The INF/FNI financial support has been the highest by
far. It allowed us to have very popular low prices for the
participants at a four star hotel (€ 80), where they
were extremely well catered to. The support obtained from
the INF had been the outcome of several meetings, especially
at the last Interfederal. As proof of the satisfactory outcome
of the stay for both parties, the hotel management has offered
its Spa premises to ANAPA at a 50% discount price; that is,
€ 12 for the basic circuit and discounts for additional
services. The first session started on Sunday, the 26th of
November, from 18:00 to 22:00, and, at present, the service
has been extended to two sessions per month due to its success.
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4.- Check links at this address for the numerous reports
published in the mass media during the time the Gala lasted:
http://www.naturismo.org/25aniversario/swimming_gala06.html
Most of them are local and regional media, which is what we
were after in order to maximize the returns to the organising
association. There you can also find reports by the national
radio network SER, (audio links), in the sports programme
“El Larguero”, and two television news reports
(on Antena 3 and Tele 5). The Gala has also found its niche
on other federations’ web pages such as British Naturism,
( www.british-naturism.org.uk/links ), where you can also
find links to Spanish newspapers. The French magazine, “La
vie au Soleil” (a best seller at the French Naturist
holiday resorts since 1949) interviewed José Manuel
on the telephone for its next issue; see at:
http://www.naturisme.com.fr/Pagevieausoleilgenerale.htm
5.- The high participation of Spanish Naturists and the number
of medals obtained by them, (24), in spite of tough competitive
standards, stand out on their own merits. What this Gala has
meant for Spanish Naturism will be seen in the number of Spaniards
taking part in future Galas, like the one to take place in
Paris, (or Bordeaux), in the year 2007.
Many are the compliments and congratulations being sent via
E-mail these days. The support for and encouragement to the
Spanish team was relentless, even when all the other competitors
had reached the finish line.
We want to extend our thanks to the AND, ANAPA, CCN, and ANCC
teams and to exhort them to foster the global Naturist spirit
which we experienced and contaminated others with during those
marvellous days. We are also grateful to Gijón and
for the beautiful sunny days at the beach, especially on Sunday,
for all of us sun lovers.
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Videos
from 2 national TVs (in Spanish) |
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Swimming Gala Gijón 2006
Telediario Tele5, 4-XI-2006 |
Swimming Gala Gijón 2006
Telediario Antena 3, 4-XI-2006 |
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In September it will be included a documentary on the event
in this page.
The FEN executive committee.
Translated by Alberto González Iglesias
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