Joe Duggan (Reporter)
THE King of Spain joined Spain’s Barcelona’s ‘92 Olympic sailing heroes at Mallorca’s Copa del Rey MAPFRE on Thursday.
King Felipe attended the ceremony to honour the Olympians at the Real Club Náutico de Palma on the 25th anniversary of the games being held in the Catalan capital.
During the ’92 games, Felipe was a member of the Spanish sailing team and led his fellow competitors into the Montjuic Stadium bearing Spain’s national colours.
Alejandro Blanco, the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, was among the dignitaries also in attendance.
An invitation was given to all Spain’s sailing regatta competitors from the Barcelona games.
Blanco said the group’s achievements ‘made us tall’.
“They have written in golden letters the most shining pages of sailing and also of sport,” he continued.
Spain won four sailing golds and one silver during the games.
Gold-medal winner Theresa Zabell was one of the Olympians Blanco paid tribute to, with Zabell recalling the hardship involved in winning gold.
“It was very complicated and the sense of satisfaction in managing to win was amazing,” she said.
Another gold medallist, José María van der Ploeg, who came out top in the Finn Class, said Spanish sailing was in good health ahead of Tokyo 2024.
“Sailing is the Olympic sport that has given Spain the most medals and we continue work so that in Tokyo the Spanish team returns to to get a great result,” he said.
