The Portuguese Pigeon Racing Federation (FPC) inaugurates, on Saturday, the National Pigeon Racing Track, in Portomar, municipality of Mira, an investment of around 500 thousand euros.
“This is an infrastructure that was already 30 years old and the Federation took the opportunity to build another one from scratch, substantially better, in the same location”, FPC sports director Almerindo Mota told the Lusa agency this Thursday.
According to Almerindo Mota, the objective of the investment is to “improve the conditions for sporting activities and animal welfare”.
In a press release, the FPC considers that the infrastructure “marks a new era for pigeon racing in Portugal and Europe”.
“Measuring 80 meters long, seven meters wide and seven meters high, the new National Columbadrome has capacity for around 4,500 racing pigeons, making it a unique project in Europe”, he adds.
Built with the support of the Municipality of Mira, in the district of Coimbra, “it represents an investment by the Portuguese Pigeon Federation at the service of the national and international pigeon racing community”, he highlights.
Quoted in the press release, the president of the FPC, José Luiz Jacinto, maintains that the infrastructure is “a modern, functional space designed for animal welfare and sporting performance, placing Portugal at the forefront of infrastructure dedicated to this sport”.
On the same day, the opening ceremony of the Mira 2025 International Pigeon Racing Championships will take place, which “will once again transform Mira into the world epicenter of pigeon racing”.
“This year’s edition brings together hundreds of fanciers and thousands of racing pigeons from 25 countries”, he says,
The event includes “the most prestigious national and international competitions”, such as “the European and European Youth Championships, the FCI [Federação Columbófila Internacional] Grand Prix, the Ibero-Latin American Tournament, the National Champions League and the National Youth Championship”.
“With a total of 140 thousand euros in prizes, the FCI Grand Prix stands out with a prize of 57,500 euros for the winner of the final”, he adds.
According to the Federation, “the racing pigeons that will participate in the competitions have been carefully trained by the FPC over the last few months” and will be released in the town of Azinhal, Algarve, on Saturday morning, “and will travel a distance of around 415 kilometers to Mira”, with “their arrival estimated to happen around lunchtime”.
The International Pigeon Racing Championships are supported by and from the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth, and sponsored by several companies.
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