The Seville City Council, through the Municipal Sports Institute (IMD), has held the traditional XXXVI Sports Festival at the Seville Exhibition and Conference Center, Fibes, in which the merits of the most outstanding athletes and entities of Seville of the year 2023.
Among the winners are the best athletes of the year, the canoeist Tano García de la Borbolla, who in 2022 was proclaimed absolute world champion in the C2 500 category and U23 world champion in C4 500. In the female category, the recognition went to the athlete Maribel Pérez, who placed sixth in the European Athletics Championships in the 100 meters, broke the Spanish records for the 60 meters on the indoor track and the 4×100 relay outdoors (test in which she was also fifth in the world championship). , and was also proclaimed champion of Spain of 60 meters on the indoor track.
The mayor of Seville, Antonio Muñoz, has highlighted “the high competitive level of Sevillian athletes and teams, who have reaped important achievements throughout the year 2022; Their successes and the effort and work they do to achieve them are a mirror that serves as a reference for the city’s children and young athletes, with which they also carry out a fundamental task of promoting and promoting sport so that it continues to grow in Seville”. Antonio Muñoz, who has been accompanied by the delegate for Ecological Transition and Sports, David Guevara, among other members of the municipal corporation, has also presented the Life Dedicated to Sports Award to the expert surgeon in Sports Traumatology José María Madrigal, by whose hands they have past numerous athletes from different disciplines such as football, rugby or handball, among others. During his professional career, José María Madrigal has performed innumerable successful operations on athletes who have been able, thanks to this, to continue his career.
The Real Alcázar Award, which is awarded to the most outstanding team of the year, has been for Real Betis Balompié, which won the title of champion of the King’s takeover bid in 2022.
The Men’s Puente de Triana Award, which is awarded to the most outstanding promising athlete of the year who competes in categories below the absolute level, went to the rower Antonio José Díaz Ramos, who added fourth place in the absolute world championship as his most outstanding results. rowing, a fifth place in the under 23 world championship and a gold medal in the European Sea Rowing Championship.
As for the Puente de Triana Women’s Award, it went to the soccer player Inmaculada Gabarro Romero, sub 20 world champion with the Spanish team and who also won the golden boot for the top scorer and the silver ball for the second best player in the tournament.
The Torre del Oro awards for Athletes with Disabilities have been for Javier Reja Muñoz, who added up to 14 podiums in Spanish championships and played several finals in the European and World championships in which he also won three gold medals in the disciplines of indoor rowing and the paracanoe marathon; and for Andrea Chao Tuvino, an athlete who was proclaimed champion of Spain in the 400 meters and runner-up in 800 meters in athletics for blind people.
In addition, other athletes and entities have been recognized such as the Club Náutico de Sevilla, which has obtained the City of Seville Award for the most outstanding entity of the year; the Colegio San Antonio María Claret to the educational center that has stood out the most in the promotion and encouragement of sport; the commercial firm Prointegrada SL with the Guadalquivir Award for the company that has stood out in sponsoring and supporting sports; and Adela Villegas Recio with the Plaza de España Award, which recognizes the person or entity that has contributed the most to tasks of integration and social inclusion, for the work carried out in sports schools for people with different abilities and with specific sports programs for women. and older people.
In addition, the Jury of the Sports Festival has awarded two special mentions: one to the Amama Sevilla Association, “Leonas del Guadalquivir”, for its project ‘Vence-Remos para la la for integration and overcoming the consequences left by cancer breast cancer through sports practice; and another to the Real Ciencias Rugby Club for its fiftieth anniversary.
