06.20
Popularity of MotoGP in Portugal
Hello! My name is Eri Ito, a Japanese motorsport journalist.
I mainly cover MotoGP, MotoE which is the electric two-wheel road racing championship.
This blog is all about Eri Ito’s personal experiences of visiting different countries to cover the MotoGP.
Please click: ABOUT for more details.
I saw a promotional video for MotoGP on display, when I arrived at Faro airport in Portugal. which is the closest airport to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve where the Portuguese GP was held.
The video featured Miguel Oliveira, a Portuguese rider.
Actually, I saw some MotoGP fans on my plane from London. Their t-shirts spoke of their passion for MotoGP and excitement loudly.
I could imagine their upcoming weekend enjoying the race with a large amount of beer flying. I looked like a lot of fun, probably because they had a huge expectation for the race. Their excitement and expectations were all there to see.
After seeing them off, I came up with a question,
“How popular is MotoGP in Portugal ……?”
To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure.
“I heard that it’s very popular in Spain, but what about Portugal ……?”
So I decided to ask some staff at my hotel.
The town “Alvor” that I stayed is 20km from the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, but I saw some guests who I guessed were there to watch the MotoGP race that weekend.
The reason why I knew it is because I saw a Rossi’s flag fluttering in the wind on the balcony of a guestroom.
When I asked two ladies at the reception, “What is the most popular sport in this country?”, they answered without hesitation, “football”. Their voices were even beautifully synchornised. I thought “Hmmm”.
However, this was to be expected. Even I knew it.
Portugal is the home for some great football players… maybe… I think… This is the level of my knowledge of football.
I even saw the final of the previous FIFA World Cup on TV, and it brought me to tears a bit!
So what about MotoGP? I asked them. They told me that the MotoGP isn’t very popular sport and “a bit niche”. However, many MotoGP fans come to Portugal from other countries because European countries are connected by land.
I pressed and asked: “There is a Portuguese rider in the MotoGP – called Miguel Oliveira, isn’t there?”. One of them seemed unsure but the other lady nodded “yes”, if to say “of course”.
It may not be a very popular sport, but I don’t believe MotoGP is that “niche” in Portugal because I saw not only the promotional video at the Faro airport but also a poster for it at the bus stop in Alvor.
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This blog is all about Eri Ito’s personal experiences from visiting different countries to cover the MotoGP.
Please click: ABOUT for more details.
