The Oviedo City Council took advantage of the final stretch of the year to pay tribute to sport, “the great forgotten during the pandemic”, in the words of the mayor, the popular Alfredo Canteli. The councilor took advantage of a municipal reception organized to recognize the achievements achieved in 2020 by four clubs and 19 athletes to define local athletes as “an authentic example of overcoming and pride for the rest of Oviedo.” On the other hand, the highest municipal representative promised to reform the Palacio de los Deportes “as soon as possible” to make it the benchmark facility in the city. “It will be loaded with activity”, he indicated.
The act became a kind of collective tribute with Canteli offering all his support to some athletes seriously affected both by the confinement decreed on March 14 and by the closures decreed in November by the Principality to try to control the second wave. “You knew how to face adversity and reap great successes”, said the mayor before a list of more than 30 athletes, managers and grateful technicians.
At the team level, the City Council recognized the “great milestone for Carbayón football” that was the promotion of CD Covadonga to the bronze category of Spanish football after finishing in third place in the Third League and overcoming in the decisive tie by the ascent to the Caudal de Mieres. In the same collective section, there were special mentions to Badminton Oviedo for its title of Champion of Spain of the Iberdrola Clubs Cup and “to make known a sport until recently unknown to the people of Oviedo.” Similarly, the Oviedo women’s soccer season and the Oviedo Volleyball Club, both leaders of their respective leagues today, stood out.
At the individual level, the Consistory remembered both the great absolute athletes and the main exponents of the quarry. Alberto Suárez Laso topped the list of champions as a prize for obtaining their classification to play the Paralympic Games that will take place in Tokyo next summer. “This pandemic will happen in 2021”, predicted the runner, optimistic after suffering in his own flesh “a complicated year for major competitions.” A vision shared by the captain of the women’s Oviedo, Isina Corte. “Hopefully next year we will end this pandemic and we can celebrate many successes,” stressed the footballer, chosen together with the athlete to act as spokespersons for the athletes honored.
The appointment served to share the bad experiences lived by athletes in this last year. “I had to train for months with air shots, but it is not the same and I lost my form a bit,” said Alejandro Arévalo about the consequences of a confinement that, however, did not prevent him from closing a great year as a result of his triumph in the Spanish Olympic Shooting Championship.
Individual and collective recognitions
- CD Covadonga. The mayor of Oviedo described yesterday as a “milestone for Carbayón football” the promotion of “Cova” to Second B after a campaign in which Fermín Álvarez’s team was third in the League and surpassed Caudal to achieve the passport to the category of bronze of Spanish soccer.
- Badminton Oviedo. The title of champions of Spain in the Iberdrola Cup this year confirms Badminton Oviedo as one of the sports entities with the greatest national projection and discoverer of this sport, previously little known by the people of Oviedo.
- Oviedo Female. The City Council wants to recognize the great season that Real Oviedo Femenino is having, which today occupies the first place in group A of the Second Division League ahead of Atlético de Madrid B and Racing.
- Alejandro Arevalo. The member of the Principality of Olympic shooting club won the Junior Spanish Championship in a year in which he spent hours training with air shots indoors due to general confinement.
- Volleyball Oviedo. The City Council recognizes Volleyball Oviedo both for its good performance in the current season, in which it occupies the first place in the League, and for its great results pulling the local quarry of this sport.
- Martina Rodríguez. The young tennis player from the Olivares club showed the good level of the local quarry of this sport by winning the title of champion of Spain in the youngest category, thus setting off an excellent personal season.
- Alberto Suárez Laso. The athlete achieved another milestone in his career this season by achieving the minimum mark to be able to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for next summer.
Quarry
The future champions also had their space in a plenary hall enabled to strictly comply with sanitary measures. The tennis players Martina Rodríguez and Eugenia Menéndez, champions of Spain in the Benjamin and Cadet category, respectively; the karateka Hugo Barba, Eva Otero, Miguel Fernández and Adriana Gil or the gymnastics Flavia García were some of the examples of improvement from a grassroots sport “mistreated in recent months”, according to several of those attending the event.
David Fernández, as an outstanding adapted athlete, the weightlifters Carla González and Alberto Fernández, and the personal defense champions Noelia Blanco, Ricardo Ortea, Tomás Fernández and Manuel García, led by Iván Rodríguez Zapico, completed a wide selection of exponents of the Oviedo sport conjured to continue filling their particular showcases with trophies and medals and serve as a mirror for future generations.
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