This Wednesday in Girona, the Princess of Girona Foundation presented the Young Athletes Values 2025 awards, a new distinction with which it seeks to “give a face and a voice” to youth leaders who understand sport as a tool for personal growth and social impact. During this first edition, six athletes were rewarded, three in the women’s category and three in the men’s category, as well as one entity. The event took place in the presence of the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa; the government delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, and the president of the Princess of Girona Foundation, Francisco Belil.
In the men’s category, the gold medal went to Extremadura swimmer Guillermo Gracia; silver, to Basque rhythmic gymnast Eneko Lambea; and bronze, for Canarian golfer Javier de Bethencourt. In the women’s category, the jury awarded gold to the Aragonese rhythmic gymnast Inés Bergua; with silver to the Galician skater Julia Benedetti, and with bronze to the Castilian-Leonese mountaineer Iziar Martínez.
The Melilla Autism Association, a non-profit organization established in 2018 to improve the quality of life of people with autism spectrum disorders and their families, was the entity recognized in this edition. The jury, made up of athletes, former athletes and journalists, highlighted their work to make sport a space of social inclusion and educational support, “demonstrating that physical activity strengthens not only the body, but also self-esteem and autonomy.”
During her speech, Illa claimed the role of sport in a society marked by “worrying signs of dehumanization”. The president defended the need for committed role models: “When a child gets on a bike or puts on a climbing harness, he will surely first notice an athlete who is a reference for him,” he said.
Belil stressed that the awards recognize sport as “a transformative tool, not only for those who compete, but for society as a whole”, and recalled that values are generally measured more by attitude and effort than by medals. “Thank you all for making this sport an engine of positive transformation, especially for new generations,” he concluded.
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