WOMEN'S UNIVERSE TOUR

The Women's Universe Tour 2024 Tour visits Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Toledo, Madrid and Lleida

The Women's Tour Universe is an initiative that seeks to promote women's sports as a basis for the recognition of women in society, making visible the efforts, challenges and successes achieved by our sportswomen. In the 2024 edition, the Women's Universe Tour kicks off in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with the race-walk 'Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in shape for equality', on April 13 and 14. This sports festival will continue its tour in Toledo (May 18 and 19), Madrid (June 15 and 16) and Lleida (October 12 and 13).

The Women's Universe Tour is considered the largest outdoor sports event in Europe. It occupies nearly 3,000 square meters, where it offers a sports and information space on the 35 federations sponsored by Iberdrola España. In this mobile sports center, visitors can enjoy practicing sports, competitions, exhibitions and other activities led by instructors from different gyms or professionals such as the renowned Zumba teacher Jessica Expósito.

The Women's Universe Tour, which so far has visited 24 cities and has had 200,000 attendees, has a charitable nature: the entire amount collected from the purchase of the bibs is donated to a social cause.

Huesca, Cádiz, Pamplona, Badajoz and Logroño, venues of the Women's Universe Tour 2023

The Women's Universe Tour toured five provincial capitals in 2023: its 20th edition was held in Huesca, and after passing through Cádiz, Pamplona and Badajoz, it closed its tour on October 21 and 22 in Logroño.

The events at the five 2023 venues were designed for all kinds of audiences, and also served as an information space about the 35 Federations promoted by Iberdrola in Spain. Attendees were able to practice sports, participate in competitions and enjoy exhibitions with local athletes and national champions.

The Women's Universe Tour, in other editions

Since 2019, in its Granada edition, Iberdrola has been offsetting the event's CO2 emissions by acquiring 100% renewable energy certificates. Thus, the Tour became one of the first sustainable multisport events, as it contributes to the economic development of the environment that hosts it, protecting the environment with the use of reusable materials, replacing the use of plastics, offsetting CO2 emissions and improving social responsibility by making it accessible to the public and promoting equality between men and women.

In 2020 and 2021, as a result of the COVID health crisis, the Tour adapted its project to an audiovisual format, recording 31 programmes on Teledeporte, in which its physical format was respected, giving visibility to the sportswomen, their stories and successes. In 2022, the Tour became a hybrid model in which both formats were combined, audiovisual with 20 more programmes on Teledeporte, and also returned to the physical format in cities such as Zamora, Cuenca and Huesca.

Zamora was one of the venues chosen for the 2022 Women's Universe Tour, which was held with the same objectives as this year: to reduce the gender gap in sport, to project the image of women as an active and fundamental part of this field in Spain and to recognise their efforts and successes. 

With the participation of Paula Arcos, international handball player; Bárbara Fuertes, deputy director of Women and Sports at the CSD; Marisol Casado, president of the International Triathlon Federation or Teresa Esteban, international judo referee within the framework of the Forum “The advances and challenges of women in sport”, strategies were addressed to promote the development of women's sport as a priority axis when it comes to promoting the role of women in today's society, in turn disseminating the great achievements of local athletes.

The Universo Mujer Tour was born as a traveling sporting event that tours several cities in Spain. Since July 2016, Iberdrola España has been the main promoter of the CSD's Universo Mujer programme, becoming the first company to make a firm and global commitment to equality and the empowerment of women through sport. In addition, it delves into the day-to-day lives of sportswomen, who give us their thoughts and advice on the main challenges and circumstances that occur in the world of women's sport.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, in 2020 the Universo Mujer programme of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) and the Fundación Deporte Joven -of which Iberdrola España is the main promoter- decided to adapt its project to a new audiovisual and digital format, although maintaining its usual objectives: to promote the presence of women in the world of sport, to project the image of women as an active and fundamental part of sport in Spain and to recognise their efforts and successes.

In this series of programmes broadcast on Teledeporte and digital channels, we accompany big names in women's sport - such as Carolina Marín (badminton), Amanda Sampedro (football), Ona Carbonell (synchronised swimming), Ruth Beitia (athletics), Sandra Sánchez (karate), Garazi Sánchez (surfing), María Vicente (football and athletics), Salma Paralluelo (athletics), Eva Moral (triathlon) and Teresa Díaz (fencing), among others, María Vicente (football and athletics), Salma Paralluelo (athletics), Eva Moral (triathlon) and Teresa Díaz (fencing), among others - as they lead training sessions, tackle challenges, take part in forums and share experiences in the world of fitness and lifestyle with leading figures in these disciplines. We also saw demonstrations of parkour, rhythmic gymnastics and boxing, and paid tribute to beloved sportswomen such as Blanca Fernández Ochoa and Coral Bistuer.

In addition, the Universo Mujer Tour delves into the daily work of sportswomen, who leave us their reflections and advice on the main challenges and circumstances that occur in the world of women's sport.

Season 4

Boxing, surfing, rhythmic gymnastics, hockey... We interview Olympic and Paralympic sportswomen from different disciplines who tell us about their experience at the Tokyo Olympic Games in the season that brings the Women's Universe Tour programme to an end.

Season 3

We delve into the lives of women who have triumphed in the world of sport. Over the course of nine programmes, we will see how they share their experiences and the challenges they have faced throughout their successful careers.

Season 2

Conciliation, confinement and life after sport are some of the topics addressed in this second season of the Women's Universe Tour programme. With sportswomen such as Ona Carbonell, Sara Hurtado, María Xiao and Teresa Portela, among many others.

Season 1

The Universo Mujer Tour goes digital with these first episodes of its programme starring various successful sportswomen. In them, the sportswomen talk about how they have faced some difficulties in their careers, such as injuries and confinement. Reflections and advice from women who have reached the top in their respective disciplines.

The Women's Universe Tour is being broadcast on its usual digital and Teledeporte channels in three-chapters seasons, which pay attention to different women's competitions of the 16 federations promoted by Iberdrola: football, badminton, handball, volleyball, rugby, triathlon, canoeing, gymnastics, fencing, hockey, karate, surfing, table tennis, athletics, boxing and ice sports.

The show has been awarded by the 2020 As Sports Awards, in which the jury highlighted the contribution of the Tour Universo Mujer initiative to promoting the presence of women in the sports field and enhancing the efforts and successes of the athletes.

In its in-person version, the tour visited different Spanish towns, where races, sports sessions, exhibitions, talks, etc. were held. In addition, the 16 national federations involved had information booths.

Other stops on the tour in 2020

 Pontevedra (6, 7 and 8 March 2020)

Pontevedra became the 17th stop on the tour, coinciding with International Women's Day.

On Friday 6 March, the main representatives of women's sport at both national and regional level discussed women's sport today at the Women's Universe Forum.

On Saturday 7 March, Pontevedra's Plaza de España played host to a series of activities for all participants to enjoy. The activities were ran by the 16 Spanish federations promoted by Iberdrola through the Women's Universe program. Each one had its own information booth and a 3000 square metre activity area, where participants could try out the different disciplines completely free of charge, as well as enjoying displays relating to local clubs and athletes. Meanwhile, the free fitness marathon offered outdoor group classes in zumba, aerobics, dance, spinning, etc. courtesy of local schools and gyms.

The Pontevedra Fit for Equality Race was held on Sunday 8^th March. It took the form of a charity race for all, the proceeds of which were donated in full to the charity Fademur Galicia.

10,000 assistants in each stop

The tour visited 16 Spanish cities in 2017, 2018 and 2019 (Castellón, Palma de Mallorca, Bilbao, Málaga, Burgos, Valladolid, Valencia, Murcia, Sevilla, Santander, Zaragoza, Gijón, Oviedo, Granada, Cáceres and Huelva) and attracted an average of 10,000 people at each stop. Much of this success was down to the help of the town councils, the Young Sports Foundation and the National Sports Council (CSD) as well as the Spanish sports federations appointed to the 'Women's Universe' program.

Iberdrola has been the main driving force behind this Women's Universe program since July 2016. This is the first company in Spain to make a global commitment to promoting women's participation in every aspect of sport.

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