France awarded 28 Spanish sportspeople with medals for their contribution to European sport since 1986, including Mercedes Coghen, leader of the Madrid 2016 Olympic bid.
Coghen was an Olympic gold medallist in hockey in Barcelona 1992. France currently holds the EU presidency and the medals were presented at the French Embassy in Madrid by Bernard Laporte, French Minister of Sport, as Spain celebrated 22 years since joining the European Union. Acknowledging Spain’s phenomenally successful year of sport with championships in football, tennis and cycling, the French Minister of Sport joked, “It’s a good job you don’t play rugby as well!”
However, he did stress, "The exceptional achievements made by the European athletes in Beijing 2008, with a total of 280 medals and 87 golds amongst them, places the European sports community amongst the most important in the world.”
28 top athletes from Spain’s sporting history were awarded the Medal for Youth and Sport, with Jaime Lissavetzky, Spanish Secretary of State for Sport, receiving France’s highest civic honour, the Légion d’Honneur. Amongst the athletes decorated, some were retired or disabled, recognising the breadth and depth of Spain’s sporting legacy in Europe.
In a reciprocal gesture, Jaime Lissavetzky awarded the disabled French skier Nathalie Carpanedo Noireau with the Spanish Royal Order of Sporting Merit.
“It is a great honour to receive this award,” said Madrid 2016 CEO Mercedes Coghen. “France is a great and worthy competitor so to be presented with it by Mr Laporte gives me great pleasure. It also recognises Spain’s achievements as a great sporting nation on the international stage, and our commitment to the values of sport which help bring about social change.
“As much as this award recognises Spanish athletes, it is also for everyone involved with sport in Spain. I hope this recognition of sport in Spain will help our bid to host the Olympic Games in the Spanish capital in 2016.”
