Pope Francis's visit to Spain has yielded memorable moments, including the presence of Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marín at an event held at the Movistar Arena in Madrid. Marín, who shared the stage with swimmer Teresa Perales, took the opportunity to give the Pontiff a special gift.
Aware of the Holy Father's fondness for sports, particularly tennis, the athlete from Huelva presented him with a badminton racket. Marín used this shared passion for sports to emphasize that it, "when lived with integrity, is a true school of life." She lamented the current trend towards "a world obsessed with performance and success at all costs," where sometimes "only making money or breaking records seems to matter."
“"Faced with that pressure, we athletes want to defend today the clean joy of playing for the pleasure of playing; that enthusiasm we had as children, which reminds us that the most important thing on any court should always be the person."
The Olympic champion added that, after years of elite competition, she understands that "competing does not mean destroying the opponent." She shared with the Pope the view that competitiveness should remain on the court and be forgotten off it. "The adversary is not an enemy, but an indispensable travel companion who, by giving their best, forces us to give our best. Competing means growing with the other, never against the other. Therefore, sport also demands humility in success," she concluded.
