The third mus tournament, organised by the Ayuntamiento de Ourense, will be held on Saturday, 7 November, at the Liceo. The event will run throughout the day and will allocate places for both the Spanish and Galician championships.
Ourense has established itself as a hub for mus, a traditional Spanish card game, with over 800 participants in the local league every Thursday. This morning, the tournament was officially presented at the Ayuntamiento's plenary hall, featuring key figures such as Aníbal Pereira, the councillor for sports; Noa Rouco, the councillor for arts and festivities; Ana Vieira, treasurer of the Ourense Mus Association (AMOU); and board member Ilenia Castiñeiras.
The competition will commence at 10:00 and is expected to conclude around 22:00, following a knockout format. Participants will have the chance to win trophies, gifts, and qualify for higher-level championships. Currently, around 50 pairs have registered, but the organisers anticipate exceeding 100, as registration will remain open until the day of the event.
Sponsored by the local council, the tournament aims to further promote this growing activity in the city. AMOU boasts over 1,000 members, and the local league, held every Thursday, sees participation from more than 800 players, a significant proportion of whom are women, setting it apart from other cities.
Ana Vieira highlighted the tournament's competitive nature and the opportunity for participants to advance to higher competitions, stating, "We are vying for a spot." She also noted the increasing number of players in the city: "It is growing; we have had a mus school for years, and it shows. In terms of mus players per capita, we must be among the highest in Spain. In the Ourense league, we have around 800 people playing every Thursday, and the numbers are rising."
Aníbal Pereira, the councillor for sports, emphasised the social value of mus, saying, "Many people tell me that it is probably one of the most important activities we have today in Ourense for socialising. It is incredible: many people now prefer to meet friends to play mus instead of staying at home. On Thursdays, you see the buzz in the streets, and you encounter players who ask about the last game. It creates a lovely atmosphere."
San Martiño 2026 programme
The tournament is part of the activities planned by the Ayuntamiento to celebrate the San Martiño festival in 2026. On the same day, the Sala Valente will host a workshop on making small traditional musical instruments from 10:00 to 13:00, led by Xavier Blanco, followed by an educational performance at 19:00. On Sunday, the traditional San Martiño Popular Race will take place, setting a record this year with 11,057 registered athletes. The main festivities will occur on Wednesday, 11 November, featuring a traditional Magosto in the Plaza Mayor and the Alameda at 18:00, a folk festival also at 18:00, and a dance at 19:00 with the orchestra Los Satélites.
