Laura Herrera Launches 'El Alisio Talks' to Address Social Issues in Sports Across the Canary Islands
Former basketball player Laura Herrera has launched El Alisio Talks, a mobile forum supported by the Tenerife Island Council that features elite athletes discussing the social challenges and structural issues facing modern sports.
El Alisio Talks, a new initiative led by former basketball player Laura Herrera, has launched in Tenerife with the goal of exploring the human and social side of sports. Supported by the Tenerife Island Council, the project will travel across all eight islands, creating a mobile forum for discussion and reflection.
The series aims to look beyond competitive results and physical performance, focusing instead on deeper structural issues. The inaugural event, held at the Hotel Silken Saaj Maar in Puerto de la Cruz, featured artistic swimmer Ona Carbonell and rhythmic gymnast Almudena Cid. Moderated by Herrera, the conversation covered critical topics, including gender stereotypes, the mental and physical health of athletes, and the barriers that often cause adolescent girls to drop out of sports.
These discussions are particularly timely, as female leadership and visibility in professional sports remain key public issues. The presence of Sports Councilor Yolanda Moliné—who also toured the Tenerife Aquatic Sports Center—highlights the institutional backing for the project, which uses the influence of elite athletes to raise awareness about the gender gap.
Named after the trade winds that shape the islands, El Alisio Talks uses the metaphor of transformation to represent the change it hopes to inspire. With this successful first session, the project has set a clear path to becoming a space for multidisciplinary analysis, using the experiences of top-tier athletes to address the social challenges facing modern sports.