IberCup Estoril 2014 | European Football Tournament Brings Together 5,400 youths

Over the five editions, thousands of youths from 64 countries have passed by Cascais, making the IberCup Estoril a moment for the healthy sharing of experiences, cultures and religions.

This year Cascais receives 5,400 athletes, part of a group that exceeds 12,000 people and includes coaches and family of footballers, whose ages range between 8 and 18 years.

After Carlos Xavier, it is the turn of Rui Costa to be the patron of the tournament, setting an example to the youths, not only in sporting terms but also as a "true inspiration for the sports, football and attitude," as Carlos Carreiras believes, Mayor Câmara Municipal de Cascais (Municipal Council of Cascais), present at the press conference for the presentation of the event. "In this tournament, besides the sport, we are talking about cultural, social and economic values, i.e. sustainable development", stated Carlos Carreiras.

An outstanding figure of Portuguese football, Rui Costa stresses that "he was a kind of Sportbilly" of his time, an allusion to the cartoon that dominated all or nearly all sports. “I felt most comfortable with football, so I went down this path”, he explained, remembering that when he was the age of the youths who are now participating in Ibercup Estoril, there were no tournaments like this one. “But I have many good memories of the mini-tournaments that we did have. In addition to the sport, we learnt how to make our own beds, to be responsible for our colleague next to us, and to be in a group 24 hours a day. I hope they can make the most of this”, he added.

Filipe Rodrigues, from the organisation, hopes that “all of these youths take away with them an image of Estoril that will last a life time and that they enjoy the tournament where much entertainment and camaraderie is expected”.

Manuel Queiró, Chairman of CP (Comboios de Portugal), confirmed the partnership of the railway company in yet another edition, guaranteeing that the company, “in addition to its commercial objective, must find a way to support large social works related to sponsoring the development of youths through sport”. 

Further information about the tournament at http://www.ibercup.com/pt/

Ibercup Estoril 2014 in numbers:

5400 athletes, 250 games, 53 countries, 12,000 participants in total, 8 years old – minimum participating age, 18 years old – maximum participating age

Cascais will be the stage of the NOS AIR RACE CHAMPIONSHIP | 4th, 5th and 6th of July | Tamariz – Marina

The first week of July will be filled with pure adrenaline in the Town of Cascais thanks to the NOS Air Race Championship. Eight airplanes, flown by 16 pilots will fill the skies of Cascais in a unique race, in real time. In a mix between the Red Bull Air Race and the Reno Air Race (USA), the Nos Air Race Championship will last for three days (4th, 5th and 6th of July).

Like Formula 1, the race will have various stages: practise, qualifying and the race itself. The organisation, supported by Câmara Municipal de Cascais (Municipal Council of Cascais) is expecting an audience of one million people along the seawall of Cascais.

An oval track will be marked in the skies of Cascais, between Tamariz beach and the Marina, using beacons created especially for the NOS Air Race Championship. The 16 competing pilots will take off from the Aeródromo Municipal de Cascais (Cascais Municipal Aerodrome) in Tires and fly over the area of the track, creating a formation in accordance with the qualifying times obtained, to dive into the circuit for a 10 lap race, 25 meters high when the light turns green, much like in Formula One. Nothing like this has ever been seen in Portugal before.

“It's going to be a mix between the Red Bull Air Race and the Reno Air Race (USA). It's going to be a safe race, but very exciting. We are going to have different types of planes (Vintage and Extreme class) on the track at the same time”, says Bob Mills, a pilot with a vast experience.

Joining the natural beauty of the Bay of Cascais to an air race, NOS Air Race Championship will be much more than an air race. Open to the entire family, the event is part of the celebrations of the 100 years of the Portuguese Air Force which, to mark the date, will bring part of an exhibition from the Air Museum to the seawall. They will also be participating with several aircraft to support safety in the event, as will the Navy.

“We have associated ourselves to the event to disclose military aviation at the service of Portugal and serving the Portuguese people”, explained Colonel Eurico Craveiro at the presentation of the event. “This is an opportunity to show the public some of the activities and responsibilities which are not always visible in search and rescue missions which are supported here by the Navy's air resources”. Along the seawall, there will also be other technical and support areas open for public interaction with the participation of the Sponsors Sky Lounge Village, Boat Ocean View VIP and ledwalls.

“We have a proven track record in the receiving of large events”, says Carlos Carreiras, Mayor of Câmara Municipal de Cascais (Municipal Council of Cascais), who hopes to see “the seawall being invaded by youths of all ages and also being a meeting point for the community of Cascais, of the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, and those visiting Cascais. It is going to be a unique and extraordinary event with a unique setting, the most beautiful Bay in the world”. And it may also be one of the most profitable if we look at the economic return of 85 million dollars of the Reno Air Race, celebrating 50 years of experience and partnership with the NOS Air Race Championship.

Sérgio Monteiro, General Secretary of Transport, recognised the importance of the race which, from the Government's point of view, ”makes sense: not only because it brings an event to Portugal which does not cost any money and it also has a very positive economic return for the country, but also because it projects the right image that we want to give internationally”.

To meet the demands of this unique competition, a challenge was launched for corporate creativity: “We are going to have unique beacons, created especially for the race. For an event like this, along the coast, we had to have beacons which complied with the highest safety standards. This was a challenge that we set and was accepted by the company Engenheiros do Balão, and we are now in the final testing phase”, explains Nuno Molarinho, promoter of the event,

Categories of aircraft participating in the competition

YAK 52 (Vintage class) and Extreme Class with Extra 300/330, Sukoi and CAP 230

Logistics and safety approval by: CMC, CIVIL PROTECTION, NAV, CP (Portuguese Railways), INAC (National Institute of Civil Aviation), NAVY and FAP (Portuguese Air Force).


Promo video  - Press Conference