When Randy Arozarena went up to the stage to receive the National Sports Award, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador received him with a hug and then crossed his arms, replicating the celebration of the nationalized Mexican baseball player. The moment drew applause from the public and marked the presentation of the award, in its 2023 edition.
Despite the cold morning, Mexico’s best athletes gathered at the National Palace not only to witness the PND award ceremony, but also to receive the incentives given by the president to the athletes who participated in the Pan American Games. where the Aztec delegation made history by winning 52 gold medals, its best harvest so far.
Little by little the sun covered the esplanade of the central patio and the cold took a backseat. The words of skater Jorge Martinez, awarded the PND in the career category, and Román Ruiz, representing the athletes who shone in the Parapan American Games, also helped make the ceremony an emotional moment, in a confession of the sacrifices that what the high-performance athlete must do to reach the top.
The culminating moment came with the presentation of the highest award given by the Mexican government to recognize its athletes. Little by little the winners took the stage: the archer Alejandra Valencia and the taekwondo player Carlos Sansores, in the Non-Professional Sports category. Both athletes became world runners-up in their respective disciplines. Arnulfo Castorena, world champion in para swimming, in the Adapted Sports Category; Eddy Reynoso, in the Coach category; Blanca Casale, as Judge-Referee, SEDENA, for sports promotion; the Mexican baseball team, in the Professional Sports category. The tricolor team had an extraordinary performance in the World Baseball Classic, where they finished in third place.
One of the most celebrated moments of the morning was when Andrés Manuel López Obrador invited Canelo Álvarez, one of the luxury guests, to go up with Eddy Reynoso to collect his prize, the applause for the Mexican champion did not wait long.
The president of Mexico, in his speech, valued the role of the family, as agents of change, and the coaches, as the guide in the careers of athletes.
Trust Mexican athletes for Paris 2024
As part of the ceremony, incentives were also given to the athletes who participated in the Pan American Games. Each athlete received the amount of 240 thousand pesos, while the gold medalists received 760 thousand, the silver medalists 500 thousand and the bronze medalists 350 thousand. The stimuli will continue for the Paris Olympic Games, where the president trusts that Mexico will have a great performance.
“We are very proud of their performance in the Pan American Games, and we have to prepare for the Olympics coming, it is still going to be our turn and we are going to obtain very good results, we have what it takes, we can obtain many medals, I finish until the end of September, so here I am going to flag them and here I am going to receive them, with all the medals,” said the president.
López Obrador assured that the budget has already been allocated for the stimuli that will be granted next year. The resources will come from the so-called “Fund to return what was stolen to the people.” This year, the amount awarded by the Pan American Games exceeded 360 million pesos, an amount that has allowed athletes to focus on sports, with historic results.