SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Sep 6 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, received this Monday, at the headquarters of the Presidency of the Government, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Canarian athletes Ray Zapata (artistic gymnastics, in the specialty of the floor) and Michelle Alonso (swimming), who respectively won silver and gold medals at the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The tribute was also extended to the handball player Dani Sarmiento (bronze medal) and footballer Pedri González (silver), although they were unable to attend the event due to scheduling reasons.
The president of the Canary Islands extended the tribute to all the Canarian and Spanish Olympians who obtained diplomas or simply participated in those extraordinary Games, which were delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the official reception and the delivery of a plaque of recognition for their achievements in the Olympic event, Alonso and Zapata participated in a press conference with the president, in which they thanked the recognition, dedicated their medals to the Canarian and Spanish people and remarked the support that the regional government has given them during their career.
Both admitted that they missed going back to the islands and enjoying Canarian cuisine and promised to give their all to continue enriching their already long and distinguished careers.
“TWO EMBLEMS OF CANARIAN SPORT”
Ángel Víctor Torres affirmed that both Alonso and Zapata are two magnificent representatives of the values of Olympism in the search for improvement and victory from the maximum sportsmanship.
De Ray Zapata stressed that his silver medal has a lot of gold for the equality that was in the first place of the artistic gymnastics competition on the floor, while highlighting his integration from the age of 10 in Lanzarote and the Canary Islands, as an islander who On top of that, he has had to overcome sexist prejudices towards a sport such as gymnastics and the obstacles of those who still do not believe in equality due to skin color issues.
Michelle Alonso indicated that it is the third gold medal she has achieved in the ‘Paralympic Games’ and that her career is of such a level that she has already earned a ‘Canary Islands Gold Medal’ in 2017.
For the president of the Canary Islands, these are “two emblems of Canarian sport that, in addition, have been forerunners” and serve as an example in a land that, like the Canary Islands, “is inclusive, tolerant, open, friendly, who prefers to smile than shout and in which we understand that sport is the essence to grow “.
