The Winter Sports Federation of Portugal (FDI-Portugal) celebrated this Saturday night, in Penhas da Saúde, its annual gala, in an edition marked by the valorization of the future Winter Sports Pavilion, which will be built in Seixal.
The project, considered historic for the ice sports movement, was one of the central themes of the ceremony, which brought together athletes, directors and institutional officials.
The president of Seixal City Council, Paulo Silva, received the 2025 Personality of the Year Award, in recognition of his decisive role in the partnership with FDI-Portugal that will allow the construction of the infrastructure.
In his speech, Paulo Silva highlighted that the pavilion, to be built on land provided by the municipality, “will be an added value for the sporting development of Portugal, especially in the training of young people”, also highlighting the economic and social impact that the project will bring to the municipality.
The president of FDI-Portugal, Pedro Flávio, classified the agreement with the municipality as “a decisive step for the future of ice sports in Portugal”remembering that it is an infrastructure of Olympic dimensions, prepared to accommodate ice hockey, figure skating, short track speed skating and curling.
The night also served to reward athletes and clubs that distinguished themselves throughout the season. Among those distinguished were Jéssica Rodrigues, junior world champion in ice speed skating, Raphael Ribeiro (bobsleigh), and Ice Clube da Covilhã, named club of the year.
With three athletes already qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, FDI-Portugal is going through “the strongest moment in its history”, said Pedro Flávio, who highlighted “the sustained growth, the consolidation of modalities and the international affirmation” of the Portuguese winter sports movement.