Levante-EMV held a new edition of the SomEsport series of talks and conferences last Thursday. Less than a month before the The Paris Games start on July 26s, with the title ‘Som Esport Voces Olímpicas’ The Levante TV set brought together athletes and institutional representatives to analyze the imminent Olympic event from all perspectives.
Juanma Romero, director of Levante TV was in charge of leading the event, which began with an interview with the first vice president and Minister of Culture and Sport, Vicente Barrera. Two round tables were then held. The first was attended by the Valencian basketball player Vega Gimeno, who will compete in her first Games in the 3×3 basketball modality; Paralympic cyclist Ricardo Ten who will be hosting her seventh Paralympic Games and Juan Vicente Escolanocoach of the Valencian Paralympic athletes Héctor Cabrera and Kim López.
The second round table addressed Olympism from the institutional perspective with the participation of Paula Añó, Autonomous Secretary of Culture and Sport of the GVA; Rocío Gil, Councillor for Sports of Valencia and Juan Miguel Gómez, Director of the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation.
Vicente Barrera analyzed the policies in favor of sports
Vicente Barrera highlighted the “potential of Valencian sport” and reiterated the commitment of “the Valencian administration in promoting sport. We do it through support to the Federations. Valencian sport continues to grow and we already have 57 federations. We have reconciled everyone for the first time so that we can work hand in hand, in the most efficient way.” Barrera also recalled some of the policies to support sports that the Generalitat Valenciana has in place: “We have a line of prizes for sports results of up to 600,000 euros, scholarships for 500,000 euros for sports scholarships and we have also launched financial aid to reconcile motherhood and elite sport.” Barrera stressed that the Generalitat’s sports policy covers “both elite and grassroots sport.”
Vicente Barrera. / JM LÓPEZ
For Barrera, sport “is a fundamental value in our society” and encouraged parents to encourage their children to take part in sport. Barrera stressed that the Valencian Community is “a privileged place to practice sport. We have to work to make the infrastructure network ever larger and to promote grassroots sport.” Barrera also highlighted the close collaboration with the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation in the creation of the Community of Sport.
First round table
Ricardo Ten, Juan Vicente Escolano and Vega Gimeno will experience the Paris Games first-hand. “The Olympic and Paralympic Games are special, we want to reflect on all the work done,” said Ricardo Ten, will experience his seventh Paralympic Games: «We like victory so much because we know how much defeat hurts. My secret for being so good for so many years is that I do what I like most. In Tokyo I couldn’t win an individual medal and in Paris I’m going for it. My goal is the time trial on the road».
Protagonists of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. / JM LÓPEZ
Vega Gimeno will say goodbye to his sports career “in the best possible way.” When I announced that I was retiring, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better ending,” highlights the Valencian who achieved a passport to Paris after a basket by one of her teammates from behind in the last second of the Pre-Olympic: “it was epic, now we want to put the icing on the cake with a medal”. Juan Vicente Escolano narrated how the Games are experienced from the coach’s perspective: “We feel even more responsibility, the trust between athlete and coach must be maximum.”
Second round table
Paula Añó, Rocio Gil and Juan Miguel Gomez They talked about the importance of promoting sport in all areas. The regional secretary highlighted the fact that the Valencian Community has hosted pre-Olympic tournaments such as handball and hockey and the upcoming basketball tournament: “it makes us feel even closer to the Games.”
Rocío Gil stressed that the important thing is to build from the bottom up: “We at the City Council look after grassroots sport. All those who make it to the Olympic Games have come through clubs and municipal schools…”
Sport from a management perspective. / JM LÓPEZ
Paula Añó spoke about the importance of maximizing efforts: «We try to get the most out of the budget. When we don’t reach an agreement, we talk to other administrations or mediate with clubs. The important thing is that there are no gaps left to fill.» In this sense, it is worth highlighting the collaboration with the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, the driving force behind the FER Project, and with the Comunitat de l’Esport: «There are athletes who joined the FER Project at the age of 15 and are now at the Games, we live with them every joy and every disappointment,» highlights Juan Miguel Gómez.
Both Rocío Gil and Paula Añó highlighted the formation of the Sports and Tourism Board which includes the three administrations: city council, provincial council and Generalitat.
2024-07-01 08:11:52
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