Meritxell Batet, president of the Congress of Deputies, and Miquel Iceta, Minister of Culture and Sports, received the Solheim Cup trophy as part of a nationwide tour of Spain when the tournament was presented to the Culture and Sports Commission in the Palace of the Courts of Madrid.
The Solheim Cup, the world’s most prestigious women’s team golf tournament, is heading to Finca CortesÍn in Andalucía, Spain, on September 18-24, 2023 and it was presented to the Sports Commission of the Congress of the Deputies in the Ernest Lluch Hall as part of “The Solheim Cup Journey”, an initiative that aims to take the Cup throughout Spain and, most importantly, bring this championship closer to all areas of Spanish society.
Agustín Zamarrón, president of the Culture and Sports Commission of the Congress of Deputies, was grateful for receiving the Solheim Cup in the General Courts and defined the itinerary that the trophy is carrying out as a “pilgrimage of equality.”
“The new sports law defends equality between men and women and a tournament like the Solheim Cup is a good example of this,” he said. “It is fantastic that golf in particular and sport in general is a school of education and training for the individual.
“In these very complicated times, I want to remember that the language of sport is peace, sanity, agreement and coexistence. Hopefully the future will bring us better times”, he concluded.
Alicia Garrido, president of Deporte &Business, the organising company of the Soheim Cup 2023 that will take place from September 22 to 24, 2023 at Finca Cortesín, opened the event by explaining what the Solheim Cup is and, above all, what this tournament means in the world of golf and sports.
Garrido highlighted that the Solheim Cup will arrive in Spain “thanks to the work and effort of many people over many years, but above all, it has been thanks to the sponsors and the union of Andalusian institutions, regardless of ideology. Everyone, from each side of the parliamentary arch, has understood the social and economic potential of the Solheim Cup and is working so that this event marks a milestone in history as it passes through our country”.
Garrido also demanded an “active participation of the Government of Spain, since the Solheim Cup 2023 was named an “Event of Special Public Interest” at the beginning of last year and placed special emphasis on the fact that “This is a unique opportunity to support women’s sport with capital letters, to bet on equality and to show the whole world that we are a great country”.
“The Solheim Cup brings together all the elements of sustainability and equality and is the best way to reach out to a sport that generates a lot of prosperity for our country and is a powerful engine for integrating the country,” continued Garrido. “We need everyone’s help to make this the best Solheim Cup in history and for Spain to show the world that we are also the best in women’s sports,” she concluded.
Alicia Garrido’s speech was followed by the words of Elena Jiménez, RTVE sports journalist and one of the architects of the Solheim Cup being received at the facilities of the Lower House of the Spanish Parliament.
“The ambassadors of the Solheim Cup, a group to which I belong, want this tournament to reach all of Spanish society, beyond golf. We are proud that Spain hosts a tournament like the Solheim Cup and today we have noticed the affection that your honorable Members feel for golf and sport”, she pointed out.
Elena Jiménez concluded having a memory for the pioneers of women’s sports in general and women’s golf in particular, such as Martas Figueras-Dotti, who was also present at the event.
