The ease of sports practice on the Madeira Islands has made Madeira be very well represented on the world sports scene, with some world-famous sports personalities, such as the Olympic yachtsman of the Mistral class, João Rodrigues, and a football player who ranks among the best in the world at present, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sports pursuits on Madeira have also attracted many tourists who make their way here to indulge their favourite sporting activities in land, sea or air, including: sports fishing, diving, surfing, windsurfing, canyoning, abseiling, sliding, climbing, trekking, hang-gliding, paragliding and orienteering.

People who prefer more traditional sports may play golf, on one of the three courses on the islands, or tennis, on courts in many of the hotels or in the magnificent professional tennis complex on the island of Porto Santo.
The temperate climate and the excellent hotel infrastructure of the archipelago have brought about significant demand from athletes from many countries, who here find the ideal location for their training and education programmes.