Madrid is the world capital of sport and the PRO Foro Industria y Deporte, the benchmark meeting point within the sector. The two realities shook hands, this morning, to inaugurate the second edition of the summit, organized by 2Playbook with AS as media partner, at the Madrid City Hall. José Luis Martínez-Almeida, mayor of the capital, and Vicente Jiménez, director of Diario AS, were in charge of kicking off a special edition, with even more force, and that you can continue on streaming via AS.com. In 2021, the event was held online due to the pandemic; in 2022, the Caja de Música del Palacio de Cibeles opens its doors to enjoy a program that addresses sport in all its transversalitygoing through the economy, equality, tourism or technology.
In a relaxed chat, which started between jokes (“no, it wasn’t me”, replied the mayor, who replied to the goalkeeper after assuring that he was “on the good side of history”, as if it was he who tore up the plaque of Thibaut Courtois from the Paseo de Leyendas del Wanda Metropolitano, failing the facts), Almeida and Jiménez introduced the essence of the day, everything behind the sports industry, which moves 16,000 million euros and generates more than 200,000 jobs. “Behind Nadal’s victory, there is a whole industry, a structure that allows you to see Nadal – Djokovic until one in the morning”reflected the director of Diario AS in reference to the match that, just a few hours before, due to its long duration, had taken the Balearic Islands to the semifinals of Roland Garros.
One more joy for Spanish sport, with Real Madrid’s 14th Champions League still very recent in the minds of all those present. “For a year like this, the fact that Real Madrid has won the Champions League is very important. When you go abroad, the city is almost better known for Real Madrid than for Madrid. The works on the stadium are going to be key to hosting all kinds of events and, on a global level, it will boost us even more. At an economic level it is difficult to calculate, in terms of intangibles it has an incalculable value”, analyzed Martínez-Almeida, extolling, after the riots and the delay of the final against Liverpool, Spain’s ability to host major events. “Madrid is in a very special moment. That the Rolling Stones start their world tour here today (concert at the Metropolitan), that they publish on Twitter how well they are having a good time shows it. We have shown the world the capacity of Spain to host major international events and that scenes like the ones from the other day in the Champions League do not take place, with the start delay. Seville is another example. The world knows that here is a place to host an event in perfect conditions”, he highlighted.
The Olympic Games, in this sense, are a very present yearning for the city. One of those great sporting events to host. “The Olympic movement owes a debt to the city of Madrid. Few cities have opted for it and few cities have been so disappointed. I think that debt will end up being paid off and Madrid will end up hosting the Olympic Games. We are creating the breeding ground for it, and being the world capital of sport is an example. There must be an institutional and social consensus. If we don’t go hand in hand, you can’t. This is not the time to present the candidacy, we must prepare the conditions. We can’t afford another disappointment.“, assured Almeida, convinced and remembering the occasions in which the candidacies did not come to fruition, with the wear included of the cases of corruption recognized in very hard selection processes with the Spanish capital.
Breeding ground, Super League and Mbappé
In June of last year, ACES Europe, a non-profit association based in Brussels, named Madrid as the world capital of sport, in accordance with the principles that calibrate merit: the use of sport as a tool to improve quality of life, integration or well-being, values shared by the PRO Forum. Since then, the Spanish capital has not stopped hosting top-level sporting events. Ahead, many more. “This year we are bringing very important national and international events. The world athletics league, urban sports, Carolina Marín becoming European champion here… We have just renewed for 10 years so that the Mutua Open Madrid continues to be held and so that it continues to scale beyond the Masters 1,000, the Golf Open will be the first completely sustainable tournament in terms of carbon footprint,” Almeida highlighted, referring to that breeding ground towards the Olympic dream.
“A qualitative leap” for the city of Madrid and for its sports industry. One that, in some aspects, the mayor considers should be reinvented. For example, within the world of football. “I don’t know if the exit is the Super League, but I understand what is underlying it. We are talking about an industry, about assets, which are the squads, that must be taken care of. That cannot distort the competitions either, but I would give it a spin so that the industry continues to grow. As an Atlético player, I know that Mbappé’s arrival in Madrid would have been good. I am concerned about the imbalance that can be generated between the state clubs and the rest. If Madrid can’t compete with PSG, who is going to?”, ditched Almeida. Madrid and its sport want to keep moving and growing.