In 2011, the falla at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento will be dedicated to the world of sport to celebrate Valencia being named European Capital of Sport for this year. The falla artist Pere Baenas presents "Valencia 2011, sport all year", which looks at Valencia as a place in which traditional sports such as tiro y arrastre (horse and cart dragging) and Valencian pelota (a local form of handball) live alongside major events such as the America's Cup, the world motorcycling championship and Formula 1.

The finishing touch on this falla is a Valencian athlete crossing the finishing line with arms raised in a "V" for victory and for Valencia, bursting with pride at his triumph; the triumph of his city and his people, who have learned to adapt to the modern age as a global focal point for sport.

A Formula 1 car speeds around the modern urban circuit at the centre of the falla, sharing pride of place with two of our home-grown sports; tiro y arrastre and pelota valenciana. The ancient and the modern come together and live in perfect harmony in Valencia.

Two-wheeled sports like motorcycling and cycling, public favourites such as basketball, football, handball, etc., are also represented. Athletics is also caricatured in this falla, as is the beautiful artistic expression of rhythmic gymnastics.

Making the most of all our natural spaces, we find water sports (sailing and others) and activities in the former bed of the River Turia, redeveloped as a sports area for all Valencians. A wide open space in which to enjoy the open air, sport and nature.

Eight scenes make up this monument with 40 figures: "Open air sports", "Family sports", "Sports on wheels", "Caricature of athletics", "Sports on the sea", "Orange Derby" (with a match between Levante U.D and Valencia F.C.) and "The world of gymnastics".

For Pere Baenas it will be his fourth falla for the city council, having already put his work on this site in 2002, 2004 and 2007.

The Fallas are a festival with a tradition that is deeply rooted in the city of Valencia. The festival has now become a major tourist attraction. Its origins are actually very simple; nothing more than a bonfire to burn the waste from a carpentry shop. But Valencians have been ingenious enough to forge a great festival out of it, an expression of all the elements of their culture and history.
One might say that the Fallas are the city's own carnival, where satire and cheekiness take the shape of the fallas monuments made out of papier-mâché so that, as they burn, it is thought that one is burning away problems and evil. The fiesta also brings together several aspects that define a culture: fire, music, firecrackers and the street (source: Wikipedia).