Organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the fifth annual National Evita Beach Games ran from March 28 to April 1 in the Buenos Aires city of Mar de Ajó. This year, the La Costa district hosted over 1,400 competitors from each of Argentina’s 24 districts – a national spectacle of sportsmanship and pride. The events included exhibitions for beach soccer, volleyball, beach handball, and open-water sports teams from places like San Luis, La Palma, Misiones, Neuquen, Buenos Aires, and many more. Altogether, eight different sports were showcased, and the results were thrilling.
Originally held at Las Grutas resort in Rio Negro in 2016, the National Evita Beach Games carried on the tradition and brought the games back to their rightful place in the Argentine way of life. In past years, pandemic policies postponed the event, but this time around, the games proceeded once again with in-person live attendance and all of the fanfare you’d expect from the vigorous competition.
Previous events were hosted at Concepción del Uruguay in 2017, Rosario in 2018, and Puerto Madryn in 2019, so this year’s games had a little extra enthusiasm because they were the first ones held in over two years. The pandemic has affected every part of the country since 2020, including sporting events. But now, the return of the National Evita Beach Games shows we are all ready to gather together, celebrate, and showcase Argentina’s highly competitive beach sports landscape.
In the end, the top teams came as no surprise, with the Buenos Aires delegation being awarded the Challenger Cup as the most successful squad. Rio Negro and Mendoza teams split the runner-up’s place, and Santa Fe claimed third place overall. Only one point separated the second place from the third this year, so it was an exciting finish down to the last performance.
As a twist of fate, the Fair Play cup went to Chaco for their all-around good performance, sportsmanship, and outstanding values of co-existence. There were also many noteworthy moments for beach handball news because that competition didn’t disappoint. This time, Buenos Aires won both categories, while the beach soccer titles went to Rio Negro for the women’s side and Catamarca for the men’s competition.
Next year, the competition is sure to be stronger and more entertaining with so many great showings all around.
