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The Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, accompanied by the President of the CSD, Irene Lozano, this morning held a virtual meeting with athletes from 16 federations, to whom he transmitted “Iberdrola’s unconditional support in the short, medium and long-term for their continued success in an unusual season in which it is very difficult to find sponsorship”. “I hope that that you continue to give your all -he encouraged them in the return of the Iberdrola Leagues- because your effort and your work is more important than ever at the moment”.

Ignacio Galán assured all of them and the president of the CSD of Iberdrola's ongoing support to continue promoting the visibility of women's sport, which already benefits more than 300,000 female athletes. In this regard, he pointed out that, although the Iberdrola Leagues are becoming increasingly visible and occupying more space, “we have to continue to fight so that our athletes get the recognition they earn daily”. “It is our moral and just obligation to grant you the place you now hold. Because you are ones who win the medals”.

During the meeting, Galán and Lozano shared experiences with several athletes, such as Carolina Marín (badminton), who explained how she is facing her first competition after seven months of uncertainty. Sandra Sánchez (karate) shared the enthusiasm she has invested in the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games: "They are a gift, even the qualifying stages are", while the president of Iberdrola pointed out the exceptional nature of her situation, as she is "competing for the first time in the Olympics in the country where this sport was created”. Marta Estellés explained the difficulty of training for "a team sport and a contact sport” such as rugby in lockdown; and Sara Hurtado (ice skating), thanked Iberdrola for "how it turns words into actions" and explained how she felt protected during the lockdown in Moscow and in her recovery from injury: “you are one step ahead of our needs”, she said.

The president of the CSD, Irene Lozano, explained that "committing to women's sports is committing to a modern society that leaves no one behind. Iberdrola has done this, as it is a pioneer in promoting women's sport in Spain. The CSD is also going to staunchly commit itself to this real equality. One example is the commitment to professionalise the women's soccer league, but that is just one step of many that this Council will take in favour of a greater presence of women at all levels of sport.

Finally, during the virtual meeting, Galán stressed that “we share the same values, such as teamwork, effort, improvement, leadership, responsibility and striving for excellence. In the most difficult of situations, you have kept working and giving 100%”. She also told them “you are a breath of optimism. You are making history. A lot of progress has been made, but there is still a way to go and we have to keep going”, he said.

Iberdrola, pioneer in promoting women's sport

Promoting women's sport has become a key tool for Iberdrola and the promotion of real equality between men and women has become one of its basic values.

In line with its commitment to SDG 5 of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations, in 2016, Iberdrola became the first company to make a firm and global commitment to women's equality and empowerment through sport. Iberdrola currently supports a total of 16 federations: gymnastics, triathlon, rugby, canoeing, badminton, football, handball, volleyball, hockey, table tennis, athletics, karate, boxing, surfing, ice sports and fencing. Iberdrola also lends its name to 22 national top-tier sports leagues, and 33 other competitions.

In parallel, the provision of resources, facilities, medical services and referees, as well as support and sponsorship for different initiatives in this field from Iberdrola has not only helped to increase the number of federated sportswomen in these disciplines by 32% (reaching over 316,000), but is also allowing Spanish elite sportswomen who have built their sporting career in other countries to start competing again in Spain, leading to an improvement in the standard and visibility of national competitions.