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Iberdrola Chairman, Ignacio Galán, accompanied by the chairman of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco; and the president of the Spanish Paralympic Committee, Miguel Carballeda; announced the company's continued support for Spanish female Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the run-up to the Paris Games in 2024.

A meeting was held today at the company's headquarters in Madrid, where the chairman of Iberdrola presented the Iberdrola Medal for Energy in Sport to more than 48 female athletes who represented Spain at the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. This award recognises the sporting success of the athletes and the hard work, determination to succeed and professionalism they displayed at an edition of the games affected by the difficult COVID-19 situation.

During the event, Ignacio Galán told the athletes that they were "a mirror in which all young people would like to see themselves reflected. Among you are women who have achieved great success, but who do not rest on their laurels and who strive to go further every day. This must be a source of pride to you, but you also know that with this admiration comes responsibility: To keep working to break down barriers and give women's sport the visibility it deserves. "Some people might think there are still years to go before the next games, but I know that as far as you are concerned the work has already started. That's why I want to announce that we will continue to support you, from today until Paris. A journey that is sure to culminate in much success, but which, whatever transpires, has been worth taking", he added.

In this regard, the chairman of the utility also confirmed the company's commitment to sporting careers and the future of female athletes. In collaboration with COE, the company will launch a new edition of the training programme for athletes in finance, economics and law.
Among the athletes who took part in this celebration of the Olympic spirit and equal opportunities was gold medallist Sandra Sánchez, the best karateka in history with seven consecutive European gold medals; 17-year-old Taekwon-Do champion Adriana Cerezo, who won Spain's first gold medal in Tokyo; silver-medal-winning kayak champions Teresa Portela and Maialent Chorraut, who took second place in the K1-200 and slalom at the games, respectively. Several other paralympic medallists also attended: Triathlete Susana Rodriguez and young swimmer Marta Fernández. Also there was silver medallist Eva Moral, a PTWC1 class triathlete, and Sara Martínez, in the T12 long jump.

Also present were members of the hockey team, representatives from the national handball, wheelchair basketball and artistic gymnastics teams, as well as a dozen athletes, several canoeists, and sportsmen and women from ten different sports disciplines.

Support for more than 300,000 female athletes

Iberdrola has made real equality between men and women one of its core values. In 2016, it was the first company to make a global commitment to equality and the empowerment of women through sport. The company currently supports 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 35 other competitions.

At the same time, 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 39 % (reaching over 300,000), but is also allowing Spanish elite sportswomen who have built their sporting careers in other countries to start competing again in Spain, leading to an improvement in the standard and visibility of national competitions.