Romário Cunha, an 18-year-old goalkeeper from Ribeira de Pena, and Catarina Dias, a kickboxing athlete from Gralhós in the municipality of Montalegre, have been named Ambassadors of Alto Tâmega e Barroso by CIMAT. The ceremony for awarding the titles takes place on September 23, in Valpaços, as part of the program of the II Forum of the Bio-Region of Alto Tâmega e Barroso.
Romário Cunha, who represents Sporting de Braga and Portugal's youth national teams, experienced a remarkable year in 2025 by winning the European Championship and the World Cup for under-17s, held in Qatar. His performances earned him the Golden Glove, awarded to the best goalkeeper of the competition. The young player began his career at Grupo Desportivo de Ribeira de Pena and is now recognized by CIMAT for his contribution to raising the profile of the region.
Catarina Dias, a civil engineer by profession, has been balancing her professional career with high-level competition in kickboxing for over a decade, maintaining a connection to Ginásio Clube Mirandelense. In 2024, she won silver at the WAKO European Championship, a qualification that allowed her to participate in the 2025 World Games.
In Chengdu, China, Catarina Dias became the first Portuguese athlete to win gold in kickboxing at the World Games, in the K1 -70 kg category. Three months later, in Abu Dhabi, she became world champion in WAKO kickboxing in the same category. The year 2025 also brought her the distinction of Athlete of the Month for November by the International World Games Association.
