Swimming Against Cancer in Herbania
Fuerteventura has joined the third challenge “Against Smoke, Get Wet” organized by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) in Fuerteventura, together with the Information and Addiction Prevention Service (SIPA) of the Social Action Department of the Island Council and the Herbania Sports Club.
The challenge consists of twelve uninterrupted hours of swimming to highlight the risks of tobacco and the benefits of an active, healthy lifestyle. The goal is to surpass the record set in the previous edition, when 167 kilometres were covered with the participation of two hundred people.
As a novelty this year, the AECC has created a digital escape room about vaping, to learn in a dynamic and participatory way. The Canary Health Service also offers workshops on preventing tobacco and vape consumption, thanks to the island health area.
Isabel Laucirica, president of the AECC in Fuerteventura, emphasized a sporting and educational challenge that focuses on the harmful effects of tobacco and new devices such as vapes, especially on health and athletic performance.
Both Lola García, president of the Island Council of Fuerteventura, and Víctor Alonso, councilor for Social Action, highlighted the importance of joining this anti‑smoke challenge, a significant gesture by the AECC with the co‑organization of the Council.
“In the fight against cancer, every small gesture is essential to achieve a smoke‑free generation,” the island president noted.
Also present were Rosa Rodríguez, councilor for Public Health of Puerto del Rosario, and Inma Díaz, president of the Herbania Sports Club, who stressed how essential it is to collaborate with this challenge to put an end to smoke once and for all.
The attendees read the manifesto of the Tobacco‑Free Movement Alliance, calling for the first European tobacco‑free generation. This alliance goes beyond a simple campaign, responding to the appeal made in the 2023 Madrid Declaration at the European Conference on Tobacco or Health (ECToH), urging everyone—especially youth—to join forces to achieve the ultimate goal of a First Generation of Tobacco‑Free European Youth by 2030.