Madrid, Dec 11 (EFE).- The winners of the 18 Spanish medals at the Paris Olympic Games and their technicians were warmly honored this Tuesday at the end of the year gala of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), in which The ‘Heart of Spain’ award was also awarded to canoeist Saúl Craviotto, the highest national medalist in history (six), and to badminton player Carolina Marín, who was seriously injured in the French capital and had to withdraw in the semi-finals.
The Gala was attended by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the German Thomas Bach, as well as the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, and the President of the CSD, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes.
Thomas Bach and the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), Alejandro Blanco, exchanged awards, the Olympic Order of their respective organizations.
During this party, the protagonists of the Paris podiums received a new award, the COE medal, accompanied in all cases by their coaches, also honored in this way, in a gesture that until now was unusual.
Carlos Alcaraz, Olympic silver, and sailors Diego Botín and Florian Trittle, gold, were the only ones absent among the medalists.
“It is a country that is behind you. Responsibility is very important,” said walker María Pérez, gold and silver in Paris, to summarize the feeling of the delegation that competed in the Games and experienced glory. “A glory that is a storm,” said sailing coach Álvaro del Arco.
Pedro Sánchez, who presented his awards to the men’s soccer team and the women’s water polo team, Olympic champions, celebrated the confirmation known this Wednesday of Spain as the host of the 2030 soccer World Cup, along with Morocco and Portugal – “it will put in value the wonders of our country and our football” – and soon joined in the praise of Spanish Olympic sport.
The President of the Government referred to three milestones achieved by Spain in Paris: equal prizes for Olympic and Paralympic athletes – “it was unacceptable discrimination” – and that for the first time there were more women than men on the team – “finally our delegation looks like the country we are” – and that the team was the largest since Barcelona’92, “which speaks of enormous work.”
Sánchez also referred to the consequences of the recent damage and highlighted the items approved by the Government to help the affected sports entities.
“You have all lived and grown up in democracy,” he told the athletes. “Few areas like sports illustrate the transformation of this country. We have gone from the Spain in which winning was a coincidence to the Spain of the Gasols, from the Spain of defeatism to that of Saúl (Craviotto) and Teresa (Perales)” , and particularly mentioned Carolina Marín: “Thank you for standing up and challenging adversity with so much courage.”
Thomas Bach opened the gala with a speech in which he praised the “excellent performance” of the Spanish delegation at Paris 2024.
“We are very proud to have been able to bring together athletes from the 202 national committees and the Refugee Team there. They created a culture of peace and sent a very powerful message of unity, joy and peace to the world,” he said.
Bach, who will retire from office next year, celebrated that Spain has shown “that sport and politics can collaborate for the benefit of athletes and society in general.”
“Politics respects the scope of the COE because it has led by example,” said the German leader, who thanked “with all his heart the government of Spain and especially its president Pedro Sánchez for the support and collaboration they have always had.” with the COE and with the Olympic Movement in general”.
He also said that the COE “enjoys well-deserved prestige in the Olympic community” thanks to its pioneering role in helping refugees, in “the exemplary promotion of Olympic education in Spanish universities” and leadership in sustainability and praised “the ability to generate consensus” of Alejandro Blanco, whom he called “dear friend” before imposing the Olympic Order on him.
For Blanco, athletes are “the best representatives of integrative and unapologetic Spain.”
“None of the successes are achieved if we do not reflect and work together,” he said, and promised Pedro Sánchez collaboration to form “the new model of Spanish sport.”
Santi Denia, soccer coach at the Paris Games – where Spain won gold -, took advantage of the meeting of Olympic authorities to ask that the coaches, so protagonists on this day, also receive an Olympic medal if their players win it. EFE
