Canary Islands sports hub: Warner Bros. Discovery partners with regional government to build year-round elite training center

James Okafor | GlobalBeat

The Canary Islands government signed an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday to establish a permanent elite athlete training facility across the Spanish archipelago.

The partnership will create Europe’s first year-round destination dedicated to hosting Olympic teams, professional clubs, and individual athletes during global off-seasons, according to regional tourism officials.

The project targets sports tourism revenue of €450 million ($488 million) annually by 2026. Officials said the hub would operate facilities on Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Lanzarote, leveraging the islands’ stable climate that averages 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout winter.

The agreement allocates €120 million for facility upgrades across existing sports complexes. Warner Bros. Discovery will manage international marketing and broadcast rights, while the regional government handles infrastructure investment, Canary Islands Tourism Minister Jessica de León told reporters in Las Palmas.

Construction begins in January 2024 on 8 specialized training centers. Sites include the current Gran Canaria Arena, complexes in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and facilities near Puerto del Carmen, according to the signed memorandum.

Warner Bros. Discovery will create documentary content featuring athletes training on location. The media giant committed to producing 50 hours of programming annually, focusing on preparation routines for major competitions, company executive Fernando Medin said.

The hub expects to host 25,000 athletes annually by 2025. Initial bookings include British Olympic Association teams for winter 2024, German Bundesliga clubs for preseason, and Kenyan marathon runners for altitude adaptation, de León confirmed.

Local businesses will benefit from extended tourism seasons. Hotel occupancy typically drops 40 percent between May and September, but athlete residencies would maintain steady demand, Canary Islands Hotel Association President José María Mañaricua said.

Environmental groups raised concerns about water usage. The Training Hub Observatory, a local coalition, warned that athlete facilities could consume 3.5 million liters daily during peak periods. The government pledged to use only desalinated water and renewable energy, environmental advisor Elena Máñez said.

Competition exists from established winter training destinations. Dubai Sports City and Qatar’s Aspire Academy currently dominate the market, serving 15,000 athletes combined during European winters, according to market research firm Sportcal.

The islands offer unique advantages, officials argued. Elevation ranges from sea level to 3,700 meters on Mount Teide, creating diverse training conditions within 90-minute drives. This topography attracts endurance athletes seeking varied altitude exposure, Spanish Olympic Committee President Alejandro Blanco said.

Medical and recovery facilities will partner with Madrid’s Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón. The arrangement provides sports medicine specialists and anti-doping compliance, hospital director Juan Antonio López confirmed.

Employment projections show 2,000 direct jobs created. Positions include coaching staff, facility maintenance, sports science personnel, and hospitality workers, according to Canary Islands employment department forecasts.

The deal follows Spain’s national sports tourism strategy. Madrid allocated €1.5 billion through 2027 to attract international teams, government spokesperson Isabel Rodríguez announced in March. The Canary Islands project represents the largest regional investment under this program.

European athletics federations endorsed the initiative. The European Olympic Committees association signed a cooperation agreement, promising to recommend the facilities to member nations, secretary general Raffaele Pagnozzi said.

Background

The Canary Islands previously hosted temporary training camps for individual teams. Real Madrid used facilities in 2018, while British Olympic teams trained there before Tokyo 2020. These ad-hoc arrangements lacked coordinated infrastructure or marketing, limiting economic impact.

Warner Bros. Discovery expanded into sports facility management following its 2022 merger. The company operates wrestling training centers in Florida and cricket academies in India, generating $300 million annually from sports real estate, according to corporate filings.

What’s Next

Groundbreaking ceremonies will occur simultaneously on three islands on January 15, 2024. The first phase opens September 2024, with full operations scheduled for January 2025. Officials will announce initial athlete bookings during a London press conference on December 5.

Success metrics include athlete retention rates and tourism revenue increases. The government will publish quarterly reports tracking visitor numbers, with failure to reach 15,000 athletes by 2025 triggering Warner Bros. Discovery’s option to withdraw, according to contract terms.