LaLiga to invest in other Spanish sports bodies

MONTE CARLO • LaLiga may boast football superpowers Real Madrid and Barcelona but the league is keen to help other Spanish sports succeed too.

It is investing some €18 million (S$28.6 million) a year in Spanish federations governing various sports, reported insidethegames at the PORTELMonaco sports media and marketing convention in Monte Carlo.

Table tennis was highlighted as one such sport the programme - LaLiga of Sports - hopes to grow.

LaLiga offers broadcasters a round-the-clock television channel which shows more than just football. And LaLiga president Javier Tebas hopes that other sports will get some airtime.

LaLiga has a presence in international markets, especially after it shifted from a collective selling model for broadcasting rights.

"We want to create other channels so these sports will have visibility," the 55-year-old Spanish-Costa Rican told insidethegames.

Popular sports in the country include basketball, tennis, handball, motorsports and golf.

Spain is enjoying a golden age of sports. Tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Garbine Muguruza attained the world No. 1 ranking at some point this year, golfer Sergio Garcia won the Masters, and shuttler Carolina Marin is the reigning Olympic champion.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 01, 2017, with the headline LaLiga to invest in other Spanish sports bodies. Subscribe