Costa curling team take silver and earn promotion

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Second place in the Spanish second division championship allows Los Compadres to compete with the country's best teams this year

Alekk M. Saanders

Malaga

Monday, 12 January 2026, 13:38

The Malaga curling team Los Compadres have won promotion to Spain's top division after coming second in the Spanish second division championships held in Aragon in December.

The Pabellón de Hielo rink in Jaca, Huesca, (the only one used exclusively for curling) traditionally welcomed the Spanish teams, mostly represented by northwestern, or rather, cooler regions of the country - the Basque Country, Aragon, Catalonia as well as Madrid.

Last year Los Compadres won bronze medals, and now Fernando Galván Cañamero, Fernando Galván Torres, Miguel Ángel Vegas Martínez, Daniel Palomo Bermúdez, Carlos Barquero Sánchez came back with silver medals around their necks.

The Malagueños won all three matches in the group stage, where four teams participated. In the final between first and second place, they lost 5-3 to Barcelona Curling Club but in the consolation final, Los Compadres won 10-4, taking silver. That defeat was not so sad because according to the regulations, the teams that finish first and second in the second division championship get promoted to the top division.

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“I am very happy with our tournament. I am very excited about moving up and being able to play against the best teams in Spain. My dream is to improve and for the Spanish junior team to notice me so I can go to some international tournaments. For that to happen, I am going to train a lot,” Fernando Galván Torres, the youngest player, told SUR in English.

"I am very excited about moving up and being able to play against the best teams in Spain"

Fernando Galvan Torres

Los Compadres remain the only team from Andalucía and train mostly abroad or very far from their homes.

“It takes a lot of effort for us every time we want to train because we have to travel 2,000 kilometres, but this year we made an effort and went to train and compete on several occasions, and the results are noticeable,” Fernando Galván Cañamero, the skip (captain), told SUR in English.

The team is growing thanks to new members, including foreign residents of the Costa del Sol

The growth of the Malaga team is noticeable in every sense of the word. In recent years, Los Compadres have started participating in men's, mixed and mixed doubles competitions, and soon even a women's team will represent the Costa del Sol.

The team is growing thanks to new members, including foreign residents on the Costa del Sol. In previous articles, SUR in English asked foreign curling players to contact the Malaga team and contribute to the improvement of their skills. So now Emil, a new Costa del Sol resident from Russia, who has a lot of experience in curling, is helping Los Compadres improve. The skip said, “He knows a lot about the sport,” and this fact significantly strengthens the team spirit for victory.

Next year, the Spanish Curling Championship will be held for the 15th time, and in February, the Los Compadres team will leave Malaga and head to Jaca to take part in the top division competition.