Telefónica today presented the metaverse of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, a 3D virtual space where users can get to know one of the world’s leading sports centers without having to physically move.

Through Rafa Nadal’s 3D virtual avatar, visitors can get to know the facilities of the sports center located in Manacor (Mallorca) and tour the academy by themselves. It also has a collaborative room where meetings or encounters can be held through the virtual avatars of the academy. In addition, the metaverse includes a playful part. On the one hand, users will be able to unlock achievements as they progress, and if they manage to complete all the missions they are given, they will be able to obtain interesting prizes through sweepstakes. On the other hand, there are several mini-games available throughout the visit.

Telefónica has been responsible for developing the metaverse of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. With the application of this technology, those responsible for the project seek to bring the new facilities and methodology of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar to the younger audience through an innovative, fun and gamified experience.

Rafa Nadal states: “Honestly, I am very surprised by how well the Academy has turned out in the virtual world. I think it is a very positive project that will allow anyone to get to know our facilities and programs from anywhere in the world in a fun and entertaining way. In addition, I believe that we will reach a young audience that identifies with new technologies. Thanks to Telefónica and the work of the entire team that has been involved, we have done something new and that everyone will like”.

Chema Alonso, Chief Digital Officer at Telefónica, explains: “With this new project, Telefónica demonstrates its strong commitment to continue exploring the technological possibilities offered by Web3 and the metaverse. We thank the entire team that makes up the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar that, together with Telefónica, they open their doors in the metaverse so that all interested users can get to know one of the most recognized sports centers in the world through an immersive and enjoyable experience”.

Telefónica, being faithful to its pioneering and innovative spirit, wanted to present the metaverse of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar with a virtual press conference in 3D. The journalists who attended were able to choose their own 3D avatar, be in a collaborative room with other colleagues located anywhere in the world, follow the interventions and ask questions as if they were physically in Manacor (Mallorca) where the presentation took place.

Since its beginnings in 2016, the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar’s international outlook has led it to take its training methodology to various corners of the planet. The expansion to Kuwait with its first academy outside of Spain was a key milestone in the development and implementation of sports programmes outside of Mallorca, but this internationalisation has also been implemented in the form of another model that has helped grow the sport among children and adults with a different kind of sports centre.

Therefore, and in response to the demand in the sports tourism sector, the “Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre” (RNTC) was conceived as a new line of sports centres to complement the Rafa Nadal Academies in Mallorca and Kuwait. These tennis complexes are located within high-end holiday resorts at internationally popular destinations. After the opening of the first Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre in the Mexican Caribbean (Costa Mujeres), and the RNTC on the Halkidiki peninsula (one of the biggest tourist destinations in Greece), today the upcoming inauguration of the next RNTC, in Hong Kong, was officially announced.

This new tennis centre is born of the synergy achieved with the Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy (HKGTA), a prestigious sports centre, the tennis aspect of which will be implemented with seal of the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre and will run tennis programmes designed with the RNA methodology and with coaches from Mallorca who have moved to the Asian country.

Rafa Nadal himself is very excited about the inauguration of the project, which will take place in less than three months: “We’re very excited about this new international project in Hong Kong. Since the academy opened in Mallorca 5 years ago, we have always been interested in expanding our methodology to other countries in order to reach as many people as possible. To us, having trusted members is essential and therefore I would like to thank the HKGTA for their great confidence in the project. The facilities are spectacular and we’ll have great coaches at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre. I’m sure it will be a success and that, bit by bit, we’ll be able to continue our international expansion”.

The goal of the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre in Hong Kong will be to offer high-quality tennis coaching that helps promote the sport in the country thanks to the various personalised programmes designed to suit the profiles of the players. These programmes have been developed as part of an exclusive training system, based on the successful experience acquired by Rafa Nadal and his coaching staff over almost 20 years on the professional tour.

The sports seed planted in Mallorca has now germinated in Kuwait, Mexico, Greece and Hong Kong. The goal is to perpetuate the international expansion so that the tennis and human spirit of Rafa Nadal can permeate more countries in the years to come

The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar has be awarded a prize at the National Sports Awards, held annually by the National Sports Council (CSD). The General Director of CSD Albert Soler chaired a panel that also included Vicente del Bosque, Juan María Fernández Carnicer, Jennifer Pareja, Isabel Fernández, Theresa Zabell, Paloma del Rio, Alfonso Arroyo, Juan Ignacio Gallardo, Javier Guillén, Ruth Beitia, Mercedes Coghen and Beatriz Álvarez Mesa.

The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar received the Joaquim Blume Award, which was created in 1959 to recognise the learning centre that has done the most outstanding work promoting and fostering sport.

The award highlights the sports, academic and personal work that the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar carries out with the young players and shines a light on the promotion of sport and the organisation of events. The accolade also recognises the evolution of the facilities, which have progressively improved since their creation in 2016 to become one of the leading sports centres in the world.

The fundamental goal of this project, created by Rafa Nadal and his team, is education through sport by means of sports and academic programmes that positively contribute to human development and the comprehensive education of the players.

The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar combines high-performance sports coaching and school learning in order produce excellent tennis players, applied students and great people for society. By doing so, the young players that come from all over the world to train at the Academy combine their tennis activities with excellence in their studies. Tennis and academic training are coupled with comprehensive human education based on values inspired by the personality of Rafa Nadal himself.

The award forms part of an extraordinary list of winners who have stood out for their enormous sporting merit. The King Felipe Award for the most nationally and internationally distinguished Spanish sportsman in 2019 went to Ricky Rubio. The Queen Letizia Award for the most distinguished Spanish sportswoman was granted to Claudia Galicia. Paralympic athlete Adiadaratou Iglesias will receive the King Juan Carlos Award for the breakthrough sportsperson of the year and the Queen Sofia Award for a specially relevant gesture of fair play will go to athlete Carmen Ramos. Swimmer Alba Vázquez will pick up the Princess Leonor Award for the most outstanding sportsperson under the age of 18. In addition, RTVE was recognised with the Infanta Sofia Award for the diffusion of sports activities among those with physical, mental or sensory disabilities. The Iberoamericana Community Trophy for the most outstanding sportsperson was awarded to Brazilian futsal player Carlos Wagner Gularte Filho Ferrao and the men’s and women’s national basketball teams will share the Baron de Guell Cup, which recognises the national teams with the most outstanding performance. The National Military Sports Council won the Stadium Cup for its special contribution during the year to the promotion and advancement of sport and the National Sports Council Award for the most outstanding local body for its initiatives in the advancement of sport was granted to the Azuqueca de Henares Town Council (Guadalajara). The White Paper on Sport for Disabled People in Spain will receive the National Award for Arts and Sciences Applied to Sport and, finally, Emiliano Rodríguez and Lolo Sainz will share the Francisco Fernández Ochoa National Award for a life dedicated to the practice, organisation, management, promotion and development of sport.

Ukraine is going through very difficult times, the whole country being in a devastating situation. For this reason, the NGO Llevant en Marxa and the Rafa Nadal Foundation have joined forces to collect food for the families who need it most.

The aim is to collect the food most in demand by families, such as tinned chickpeas, lentils, boiled beans and tomato. They also need condensed and powdered milk and baby food in hermetically sealed glass jars. Children are particularly vulnerable and therefore one of the groups that suffer most from this situation of need.

The collection will take place from 16 to 28 March, when the convoy will leave Mallorca for Catalonia by boat. From there, with the help of staff from Manacor, it will travel by lorry to the Ukrainian border with Slovakia where it will be stored in a warehouse and delivered personally to Ukrainian families by a team of Ukrainian staff. At all times we will be supervising the distribution to ensure all the food reaches those it is intended for.  

In collaboration with the Rafa Nadal Foundation and the NGO Llevant en Marxa, and with the aim of supporting this important cause, two collection points have been set up and will be open until the 28th of March:

-          Rafa Nadal Club Reception

-          Reception of the Rafa Nadal International School / Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar

In addition, the full proceeds from the purchase of tickets to the Rafa Nadal Museum in the second half of the month will go towards the purchase of food for this cause.

The Rafa Nadal Foundation has been working for ten years with the firm conviction that sport and education are tools for change with which we can achieve a better world. If you would like to know more about a major part of this great family, you can do so through their website: www.fundacionrafanadal.org or by subscribing to their newsletter.

 Thank you all very much for your generosity!