Óbidos, Portugal, Sept. 22, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Surfing Federation (FPS) and Surfers Cove, Portugal's first wave pool, have signed a memorandum of understanding setting out the terms for national team training camps, technical training and the organisation of federation events, the organisations announced on Tuesday.
«This partnership forms part of the FPS's strategy to systematically strengthen the training conditions for national teams and to create an increasingly consistent pathway between development and elite performance. The wave pool allows us to work on certain technical aspects with greater regularity and precision,» said FPS president Gonçalo Saldanha in a statement.
The agreement provides for national team training camps at the facility in Óbidos, Leiria, enabling athletes and coaching staff to benefit from consistent, controlled training conditions that complement preparation in the ocean.
«At the same time, this agreement opens up new opportunities for federated surfers, for the qualification of our coaches and for hosting competitions, putting this facility at the service of the sustainable development of Portuguese surfing,» emphasised Gonçalo Saldanha.
Surfers Cove is the first wave pool in the Eurozone to feature state-of-the-art Wavegarden technology, situated at the ‘heart' of Portugal's surfing coast, between Peniche and Nazaré, and is capable of generating up to 1,000 waves per hour and over 25 different types of waves.
«This agreement represents a very important milestone for Surfers Cove and for the fulfilment of our mission. The fact that the Portuguese Surfing Federation officially recognises our facilities as infrastructure serving the development of Portuguese surfing reinforces the significance of this project for the sport,» said Manuel Maria Vasconcelos, co-founder and chief executive of Surfers Cove.
He added: «The wave pool complements the sea, offering consistent conditions for training, coaching and technical preparation that enable athletes to develop to their full potential and support the sustainable and safe growth of surfing in Portugal.» As part of this partnership, the FPS organised an official visit to the Surfers Cove construction site on 16 September, attended by, amongst others, Fernando Gomes, president of the Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP), and Pedro Dias, Secretary of State for Sport.
«This investment represents an opportunity to take Portuguese surfing to a new level. It is a large-scale infrastructure project that could play a very important role not only in the development and teaching of the sport, but also in preparing the Olympic teams and the national surfing team for international competitions,» emphasised Fernando Gomes.
For his part, Pedro Dias noted that «all partnerships aimed at the development of a region, a sport or an idea are welcome».
According to the minister, in addition to the sporting development aspect, the project's «tourist appeal» for the Western region should be highlighted.
DN/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
