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The Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, accompanied by the Ambassador of Japan, Hiramatsu Kenji; the President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco; and the President of the Spanish Paralympic Committee, Miguel Carballeda, welcomed eleven athletes who will represent Spain at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games, promising Iberdrola’s full support for this new Olympic adventure.

Among the athletes who are on their way to Tokyo and who participated in this meeting were Carolina Marín, gold medallist at the Rio Olympics and three-time world champion; Sandra Sánchez, the best karateka in history with six consecutive European gold medals; the Spanish athlete who has competed in the most Olympic Games (6), Teresa Portela; the promising Spanish handball player and world runner-up, Eli Cesáreo; and the six-time Spanish champion and veteran of the Olympic Games with three participations, Loida Zabala.

Also present were Miriam Casillas, triathlete, European runner-up in 2018; Desiré Vila, who has jumped 4.17 metres, will compete in her first Olympic Games; the paratriathlete, Eva Moral, who has already won three medals in the World Series; María Xiao, five-time Spanish table tennis champion; Beatriz Pérez, representing Spanish hockey, returns to the Games after competing in Rio; and Laura García, who won the European team title for the first time in the 20km race walk in athletics.

At the event at the company’s headquarters, Ignacio Galán said that “we are committed to promoting a winning combination: sport and women. For years, we have been committed to promoting women’s sport in the belief that we are fighting for equal opportunities”. “The Olympic spirit is the best representation of all the values of sport, which is why, at the start of this new Olympic period, we want to give you all our energy to accompany your successes." “We share values such as effort, self-improvement, professionalism and teamwork. You set an example to numerous men and women, especially girls and boys, and are role models for the 300,000 women athletes who participate in the competitions supported by Iberdrola”, he added.

The athletes took part in a ceremony to light the Light of Iberdrola, which will continue to burn at the company’s headquarters during the Olympic Games as a symbol of the company’s commitment to the Olympics, equal opportunities and female empowerment.

Iberdrola's support for the female Olympians who will participate in the Tokyo Games between 23 July and 8 August, and in the Paralympic Games between 24 August and 5 September, comes months after the company increased its presence in the Japanese offshore wind market; “A country with which we share a strong support for the energy transition”, explained Iberdrola’s chairman.

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.