Ordino Arcalís welcomes 200 participants from 25 countries to the 31st edition of the Borrufa Trophy
The international competition, which will take place between 16 and 19 January, is set to return to pre-pandemic levels of participation, with teams from Spain, France, Switzerland, Ukraine and Argentina, among others, in attendance.
The town of Ordino will once again play host to all of the contest’s social events, which include the opening and closing ceremonies and the traditional delegates’ dinner.
Ordino Arcalís will host the 31st edition of the Borrufa Trophy, the prominent international competition for young skiers, which is to be held from 16 to 19 January. The sporting event was presented this morning at a ceremony at the headquarters of MoraBanc, which was attended by the Mayor of Ordino, Josep Àngel Mortés; the Government of Andorra’s Secretary of State for Sports, Justo Ruiz; the Communications and Brand Director of MoraBanc, Mireia Maestre; the Vice-President of the Andorra Ski Federation, Patrick Toussaint; and the Marketing Director of Grandvalira Resorts, David Ledesma. The representatives who were present at the ceremony all underlined the great work done to consolidate the standing of the Borrufa Trophy over the past 30 years, during which time the support of the organisers, collaborators and sponsors has played an essential role.
MoraBanc was unveiled as the lead sponsor, a position it will hold until 2027, after recently signing an agreement with Grandvalira Resorts. During the presentation, Maestre highlighted that ‘MoraBanc, as sponsor of the Borrufa Trophy, demonstrates its undying commitment to Andorra, snow and sports at a formative level. We’re pleased to form part of Borrufa, such a deeply rooted sporting event which exudes values that we also share and are passionate about.’
Mortés added that ‘the past three decades have now brought the competition to a turning point,’ with the arrival of MoraBanc and Grandvalira Resorts as event organisers, ‘which also brings us a renewed sense of motivation, professionalism and the excitement of these young athletes.’ Ruiz also voiced his thoughts, noting that ‘the Borrufa Trophy is the epitome of sports in Andorra and grassroots sport in general; skiing in particular. The Government is thrilled to be able to participate in and lend its support to the event.’
Increased participation and a return to social activities
Patrick Toussaint, one of the founding fathers of the Borrufa Trophy, emphasises that the competition has come a long way. Over its 30-year history, he says, ‘many top-level skiers have taken part,’ struggling to hide his excitement as he says that ‘the party’s back.’ This year’s event will see over 200 participants from 25 different countries, including France, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan, to name just a few. What’s more, if we take into account the technical teams, invited guests and members of the organisation, over 300 people will be involved in the event: many more than last year and a number similar to that seen in the years prior to the pandemic.
One of the most eagerly awaited aspects of this year’s competition is the return of the traditional social events, cancelled during the last two years. These events are always among the participants’ main highlights and include the opening ceremony, where the athletes parade by country, the delegates’ dinner, and the closing party and final prize-giving, where the final day’s trophies are handed out and the overall winner of the general classification is announced. In a similar vein, Mortés claimed that ‘we’re lucky to be able to welcome them all here in our parish, which has continued to grow alongside the Ordino Arcalís ski resort.’
Technical disciplines take centre stage
David Ledesma explained that the organisation has worked arduously to offer the best competition programme this year by opting for the more technical disciplines. ‘In Andorra, we currently have the best snow conditions in all of the Pyrenees, and thanks to the tireless effort of the grounds teams and the low temperatures that have given us plenty of snow over the past few days, the slopes are in perfect shape.’ Now that the preparations have been finalised, it’s almost time to get started: on Monday 16th, the U16 slalom will kick off the action at Portella del Mig, followed by the U14 giant slalom at Les Canals, and on Tuesday 17th the categories will be inverted. On Wednesday 18th, the national team event will be held at Canaro, while the teams will also be able to practice at Ordino Arcalís. Finally, Thursday 19th will once again see the skiers in the U16 category take on the slalom, and the U14 participants tackle the giant slalom.
The results from the day’s competitions can be followed on www.borrufa.com, where there will be a space dedicated to the race results, which can be accessed by via the timer which will retransmit the position of each participant once they have crossed the finish line. In addition, you can also follow all of the events, as well as the social side of the competition, by following the Borrufa Trophy’s profiles on Instagram and Facebook. All official photographs of the participants and the different social events and award ceremonies will be available for download here.