Lagoa hosts regional, national and international sporting events this month, with the end of year São Silvestre Race as the main highlight.

December is traditionally associated with Christmas and the New Year. But in Lagoa, the last month of the year is also associated with sports, including the São Silvestre Race, the International Handball Tournament, and Open Badminton Tournaments, and many other sporting events.

Lagoa, «Active City, Land of Champions», is preparing to end the year with more than 15 sporting events in the most diverse modalities.

The main highlight is the end-of-year São Silvestre Race on December 30. Starting at 17h30 next to the Carlos do Carmo Auditorium, the popular annual race already counts over 200 registrations.

Showcasing a sport with a strong tradition in the Municipality, Lagos will host the 10th edition of the Cidade de Lagoa International Handball Tournament between December 20 and 23, featuring teams from Hungary, Sweden, Cape Verde and Portugal.

Badminton, a sport in which Lagoa is a national and international reference, will also be on the agenda with two open tournaments to promote the sport (December 2 and 8) and the Youth Olympics (9), an initiative organised by the Lagoa City Council to promote the sport.

Lagoa will also promote skating and handball through the Youth Olympics initiative, scheduled for December 2 and 16.

On December 8, 9, and 10, the Jacinto Correia Municipal Sports Pavilion will host the International Boxing Tournament, featuring boxers from several European countries.

As in previous years, the Municipality will also hold the canoeing Christmas Circuit on December 16, with a departure scheduled from the Mexilhoeira da Carregação riverside area.

In addition to these events, Lagoa also hosts a national Climbing stage (2), the District Chess Championship (3), an event organised by the Algarve Speed Skating Association (8), an Athletics Opening Tournament (9), a Martial Arts Club Internship (9) and a Stam Group Mega Dance Class (16).

The Municipality explains, «Through sports tourism, the municipality also combats the seasonality typical of the region, directly or indirectly helping the local economy».