The Baleària Foundation and its commitment to promoting sport

The Baleària Foundation works to promote healthy lifestyles and sport in the territories where the shipping company operates, supporting a range of partnerships and initiatives, mainly with sports organisations.

Thanks to this work, it has received recognition from public authorities in several of these geographical areas. A few weeks ago, the Consell Insular d’Eivissa named the Baleària Foundation the best sponsor in the Pityusic Islands. Since it was established in 2004, the organisation has supported local sport and helped teams from Eivissa and Formentera take part in national competitions.

“We are very clear that, in order to contribute to sustainable development, we must promote well-being and health. That is why Baleària Saludable is one of the programmes we run. Through it, we organise sporting events and work with clubs to promote a range of activities,” says Ricard Pérez, manager of the Foundation.

Joan Serra, Baleària’s representative, collected the award from the Consell.

Enric Mas, speaking on behalf of the yacht clubs of Sant Antoni, Santa Eulària and Eivissa, all three sponsored by the Foundation, says: “Our relationship with the shipping company has been crucial to achieving new goals. We are proud to share the journey, our objectives and our values with a company such as Baleària.” Across the two Pityusic Islands, the Foundation makes it easier for people to take part in many sports. “Thanks to the shipping company, our athletes can travel to compete, which would be difficult if they had to pay all the costs themselves,” says Juan José Escandell of Grup Esportiu Espalmador. He adds that “the discounts offered by the company to people travelling from other islands to compete in Formentera have helped these events grow considerably.”

The Foundation also supports inclusive sport through partnerships such as the one with the Associació d’Esportistes Discapacitats d’Eivissa i Formentera (ADDIF). Its president, Myrian Martín, appreciates “the role the Foundation has played in the organisation’s development over the past ten years.” Martín highlights Baleària’s commitment “to the rights of people with disabilities, which undoubtedly contributes to the islands’ sustainable social development.”

Promoting sport in every territory 

Beyond the Balearic Islands, the Foundation carries out these initiatives in other areas, including Ceuta, one of the territories where it has the most agreements with sports clubs or federations. Athletes from the autonomous city compete in Andalusia, making travel by ferry essential. “Without this support, we would not even be able to take part in the competitions,” says Sergio Aguilera of Club Natación Caballa, the first club sponsored by the shipping company in Ceuta. “All these years of invaluable support have enabled swimming and water polo to compete at their current level,” Aguilera concludes.

However, the Valencian Community is the territory where the Foundation has signed the most partnership agreements with sports organisations. Two of the most important relate to athletics. In Dénia, it sponsors one of the city’s largest clubs, Dianium Baleària, and supports one of the area’s leading sporting events of the year, the Circuit a Peu a la Marina Alta. This series of popular road races brings together thousands of people every year to run through the municipalities of the region. The Foundation signed an agreement with the organiser to turn the 12 races into sustainable, plastic-free events. To achieve this, it supplied biodegradable cups and water bottles packaged in cardboard cartons.

In addition, the organisation seeks to promote the territory’s traditional sport. For several years, it has therefore been the main sponsor of the Fundació Pilota Valenciana, which organises professional tournaments and competitions in Valencian pilota.

The SDGs as a roadmap 

The Baleària Foundation has been a signatory to the Spanish Network of the UN Global Compact since 2012 and aligns its work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It therefore helps the organisations it works with to incorporate the SDGs into their activities and, when awarding sponsorships, gives priority to organisations that have already integrated the SDGs or whose values align with Baleària’s.