MADRID, 3 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish Paralympic table tennis player and flag bearer of the Andalucía World PTT Championships, José Manuel Ruiz, pointed out this Thursday the importance of inclusive sport, while stressing that the greatest legacy that can be left to young people with this tournament is show them “what human beings are capable of”.
“I hope that all of Granada society enjoys this event and the greatest legacy we can leave is that young people see what human beings are capable of, that no matter how difficult life makes it for you, you can do important things. That is one one of the best legacies we can leave”, he stated during the presentation of the Andalucía World PTT Championships in Granada.
In addition, Ruiz showed his emotion after 28 years of sports career. “Many people who have supported me throughout my career, family, neighbors and friends, will now be able to do it first-hand,” he said. Thus, the athlete from Granada could not contain his emotion remembering his “dear and longed for” Javier Imbroda, which allowed him to reconcile his sports life with that of a teacher.
The local player participated this Thursday as a flag bearer in the presentation of the Paralympic Table Tennis World Championship that took place at the Mirador de San Nicolás in Granada, and will be held from Sunday 6 to Saturday 12 November at the Palacio de Deportes of the Nasrid city. Ruiz and the best Spanish U23 paddler Iker González opened the event with an exhibition.
In addition, the athletes were accompanied by María de Nova, general director of Sports Systems and Values ??of the Junta de Andalucía; Francisco Cuenca, Mayor of the Granada City Council; José Antonio Huertas, Councilor for Sports; Eduardo Castillo, Councilor for Tourism and head of the public company GEGSA; and Miguel Ángel Machado, president of the RFETM.
In this sense, Francisco Cuenca highlighted the importance of this event, which places Granada as “the great world capital of sport for people with disabilities” and recognized the positive economic impact that the event will have on the city. “It’s November, low season, and the arrival of more than 300 athletes will allow 6,500 overnight stays, which will mean a direct return of more than one million euros for our city,” he added.
A total of 326 athletes will represent the flags of 51 countries in an expected World Cup event, which has 41 world champions and a total of 141 world medals among all its participants. “From the Junta de Andalucía, it is a pleasure for us to collaborate in this event because we want to give visibility to sport as a transversal axis that influences health, education, the economy, tourism and culture” expressed María de Nova.
For his part, Miguel Ángel Machado highlighted the great impact that this event will have for Spanish table tennis. “It is a very important day for our federation and for world table tennis fans, especially from Granada and Spain.” In addition, Machado wanted to invite all the citizens of Granada to stop by the Palacio de los Deportes “to see a show that they will hardly forget.”
As president of the RFETM, Machado finally highlighted the pride of national table tennis “for having been able to classify 15 athletes in a World Cup that is disputed by classification and not by registration.” The Andalucía WPTTC 2022 will be a sustainable event after being certified with the green flag by the Spanish Sports Association (ADESP), for its involvement in reducing the use of plastic, limiting it as much as possible and using other alternatives.
