King Juan Carlos of Spain called Madrid’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games a “national project”. The King, Queen Sofia, the Prince and Princess of the Asturias, the Infanta Elena and the Duke and Duchess of Palma presided this week over the awards ceremony for the National Sports Prizes 2008 in the Royal Palace.
During his speech King Juan Carlos reaffirmed how the Crown was working “tirelessly and with every hope” for Madrid to be elected host city for the 2016 Summer Games.
He said the Madrid Olympic bid and its City Hall richly deserved its Higher Council for Sport award, which acknowledged its status as “a national project”.
The King underlined how the sporting successes of 2008, the best year in the history of national sport for the country, demonstrated how much Spaniards can truly achieve when they participate together with rigour and much effort.
