- "Thank you Iberia and Envera for this reception" (Spanish Paralympic Committee).
- People with disabilities from Envera receive the athletes at the headquarters of their parent company, Iberia.
Madrid | September 10, 2024
The Paralympic Team was received this Tuesday at Iberia's headquarters by a large group of people with disabilities from Envera who participated with company employees in an emotional tribute to the Spanish athletes after their triumphs at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in which Spain won a total of 40 medals.
With the vice-president of the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE), Alberto Durán, the delegation of athletes arrived at Iberia's Neo Building, located in Madrid, where they were received with cheers and applause by the airline's employees and more than twenty athletes from Envera, an NGO that was born from Iberia 47 years ago, who took off their hats at the entrance of the Paralympians.
In total, more than 500 people participated in this official reception for the great heroes of Paris, who were supported by Iberia for their travel between Spain and France, a point and a continuation of the 28 years of collaboration between the airline and the Paralympic Committee.
Juan Cierco, Iberia's corporate director, presented the event in which the most outstanding triumphs of the athletes were reviewed: "Congratulations on the 40 medals that you have brought on the flight from Paris, but above all for your commitment, example and effort".
For his part, Durán thanked "Iberia and Envera for this welcome. We share values that inspire us both. We are proud to have these athletes and these sponsors. Thank you on behalf of the entire Paralympic family".
The Paralympians, together with their coaches and technicians, were the protagonists of the tribute represented by swimmers Sarai Gascón and Miguel Ángel Navarro.
The veteran Gascón, who has nine Paralympic medals to her name and has won a new bronze in these Games, assured that "we have been touched by this reception from Iberia and the colleagues of Envera. We felt your support in Paris".
Also remembered was the moment when Navarro boarded the plane with the Paralympic delegation to travel to the French capital from Madrid and on the plane he met his mother, an Iberia flight attendant, who wanted to give him a surprise before such a special trip.
An emotional story that has been the finishing touch to a well-deserved tribute to the Spanish athletes who have once again demonstrated, as Envera's slogan states, that we can all be the best at something and that there are no unreachable heights.
