The Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, accompanied by the Government’s deputy delegate in Las Palmas, Teresa Mayans, today chaired a security meeting for the organization of the 89th edition of the Basketball King’s Cup of the Association of Basketball Clubs (ACB), which will be held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from February 13 to 16.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Security and Emergency Area of the Canary Islands Government, the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, the City of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the National Police, the Civil Guard, the General Corps of the Canary Islands Police and the Local Police, AENA and the ACB.
Approximately 200 Security Forces and Corps personnel, including the 150 National Police and Civil Guard, will work every day to ensure security in the King’s Cup of Basketball in the various areas and spaces that have been enabled, which includes not only the matches, but also the transfer of teams, training and amateur and amateur venues.
In addition to the officers of the Civil Guard, the National Police, the General Corps of the Canary Police and the Local Police of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, some 60 private security officers will participate in the device made available by the organization of the competition.
“We have enough troops to be able to respond to this challenge and we hope that people’s behavior will be equally healthy. Let it be an exemplary behavior throughout the celebration of this King’s Cup,” said the government delegate, who cited traffic management as one of the main challenges in the organization of this sporting event.
“Call on everyone to participate in festivals in what is a celebration such as the Copa del Rey in which there are also two Canarian teams. And make it a good sport party,” added Anselmo Pestana, acknowledging the exemplary behaviour of basketball fans, particularly on Fans’ Day, which this time will take place on Saturday.
For his part, the Sports Councilor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Aridany Romero, has recognized the “capacity and solvency” of the State Security Forces to face this challenge, while highlighting that the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the island of Gran Canaria “are accustomed to great events not only sporting, but cultural”, so security is guaranteed, not only by the Security Forces and Corps, but also by private security.
The competition will have three spaces dedicated to the entertainment of fans and fans, two in the central Triana neighborhood of the capital of Gran Canaria (Stagno square and San Telmo park) and one more on the outdoor esplanade of the Gran Canaria Arena, the stadium where the matches will be played.
Once the appropriate blocks have been made for the location of television cameras and media attending the event, the capacity available to the public at the Gran Canaria Arena is 9,968 people, a capacity that has been sold in full.