Spanish Olympic Committee Celebrates 100th birthday, honouring Olympic champion HOLGADO and others

The President of the COE Mr. BLANCO, Jacques ROGGE, HRH the Prince of Asturias
  The Spanish Olympic Committee celebrated its centennial in a ceremony held in Madrid in December 2012. The ceremony was presided by the Prince of Asturies Don Felipe de Borbon and attended by Spanish authorities as well as prestigious personalities from the sports world. Ninety-eight of the 240 Spanish Olympic medallists were present, including the former archery champion Juan Carlos HOLGADO. The World Archery President Prof. Dr Ugur ERDENER was among several members of the International Olympic Committee present in Madrid.    The ceremony celebrated the rich history of Spanish Olympic sports. The President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques ROGGE delivered a speech in which he recalled the important role of Spain in the Olympic movement, most notably through the contribution of former IOC President Juan Antonio SAMARANCH, the organisation of the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, and the support of the Royal Family.    Juan Carlos HOLGADO among the medallists of Barcelona 1992 (second left)Jacques ROGGE reminisced the glorious moments of Spanish Olympic athletes throughout history. Among the medallists honoured was Juan Carlos HOLGADO, a member of the archery team that won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Competing on home soil, the Spaniards overpassed the expectations. Their gold medal contributed to Spain’s highest ever medal tally in an Olympic Games.    Juan Carlos HOLGADO, who is now the World Archery Events Director, declared that: "As one of the Spanish Olympic medallists living outside of Spain, it was a pleasure to meet many of the Olympic medallists from my country. I was not only honoured for being there and chat with many champions of different sports and thankful to the Spanish Olympic Committee for organizing this, but also happy and proud to see how good Spain is doing in sport. When you are living outside of your country, you follow all what happens in your homeland with more passion. This makes me a big fan of Spanish sports and of our national teams. As a sport fan this was a great day for me."    World Archery Communication