The big winner absent from National Sports Awards

The National Sports Awards recognised the best of 2013 yesterday. They were the first awards of Don Felipe and Princess Letizia VI as the King and Queen of Spain and among the winners there was an absence. The best athlete, Mireia Belmonte, was in Doha competing the World Short Course Championships. The dates for these championships have been known since April 4 2012.

These National Awards were announced last October 23 and the day of the ceremony was scheduled for yesterday, “according to the agenda of the Royal Family”, said the Sports Council. But it did not take into account the athlete who won the main prize, the Reina Sofía, who could not attend because she is competing in the World Cup. It was her father, José Belmonte, who picked the award up instead.

Although the last three ceremonies have been held in December, these awards, which started in 1982, have frequently changed months. They have been held in February (2011), March (2009), May (2010), June (2008 and 2007) or September (2006 and 2004). In 2009 the absences were many. The football team (in Istanbul), Anabel Medina, Vivi Ruano, Nadal (in Miami), Agüero (in Argentina), Ruiz Gallardón (in New Zealand) and Fuster (in New York) were all elsewhere. Comparisons to the Mireia case fall to Joane Somarriba in 2004. She could not collect her award because she was competing in the World Cup of cycling. In 2010 and 2011, Xavi Hernández and Navarro could not receive their awards for best male athlete of 2009 and 2010 respectively but they were busy with their clubs.

Yesterday, without Mireia, the greatest moment went to eight-year-old Alejandro Rodríguez, while Bahamontes and Simeone (along with Cerezo, Gabi, Godín and Raúl García) were also rewarded. The incidents involving the ultras were also discussed and the athletes joined to condemn it. “It does not represent the true values of sport,” said Ona Carbonell.

from Últimas noticias | Diario AS http://ift.tt/1FXktJS

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