When sport was the dream of a summer night in Madrid
TOLast night, literally last night, a few minutes before one o’clock in the morning, the Moon was located exactly between the Earth and the Sun, so that its illuminated hemisphere was not visible from our planet. That is, the New Moon. Last night, literally last night, a few minutes before one o’clock in the morning, the second edition of “Night del Deporte” ended, A free and inclusive leisure and entertainment initiative organised by MARCA in collaboration with the Madrid City Council.Its central, but not the only, point was the Plaza de Colon in Madrid, which for hours demonstrated everything that, by the will of Mother Nature, the satellite could not show.
On the way to Colon, still mid-afternoon, stifling temperatures and La Roja shirts. Because extra time against Germany coincided with the first games. In fact, there were those who saw Merino’s goal, Merino’s unforgettable goal, on one of the screens installed in one of the stands.. The party had to start with a party… and that, after all, is the best way to start a party. Sweat and a few tears, because the famous De la Fuente’s team made it to the semi-finals. The evening was certainly promising.
From Germany to Spain and from Madrid to the skies. Track and field, cycling, soccer, American football, fitboxing, golf, fencing, teqball, rock climbing, basketball, carcross, racing simulator, softball, karate, rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, group FORUS classes, play area… If there was any doubt about which event to attend, which certainly did not happen to those who decided to follow the great Chema Martinez to El Retiro and back, the best thing to do was to let yourself go. Wander, if I may say so. Because the event’s extensive program offered all sorts of possibilities, concentrated in space.
And it was a matter of stumbling upon an elite athlete, or the enthusiasm of some children trying to score a goal against Sedano. And it was a matter of seconds to listen to the men and women who will represent us in Paris this month, or to enjoy the new sports whose rules we are still learning. And, by the way, it was a matter of luck that we had La Roche Posay and Quirónsalud as sponsorswith its stands. One of the most visited, to the point that there were queues. And it was a question of security, which it provides in terms of technology. Movistaranother asset without which it is impossible to understand La Noche del Deporte. And it was, of course, a city affair: The City Council of José Luis Martínez-Almeida once again turned its attention through two of its councillors: Sonia Cea as visible leader in the field of sports and Cayetana Hernández de la Riva as host. in the Salamanca area.
No grandiloquent speeches, just an official photo during the tour. Because it didn’t play. The protagonist was collective, and the hours seemed like minutes when night fell, and summer even gave a respite in a day that was hard, but could not cope with sports. Rather the complete opposite. Seah, by the way, dared to try his luck with the bat. She improved, throwing, until she decided to give way to those who were waiting. And he wanted to remind MARCA of what he had expected during his visit to our editorial office just 40 hours earlier: this Sports Night would be the perfect culmination of the previous joy..
And on top of all this, Movistar offered Alcaraz a match against Tifo on a postponed basis, won in five sets by the Spaniard to reach the second round of Wimbledon. That the sports day was intense beyond the European Cup. And it was precisely in the bustle of the initiative that there were those who took a break, watching the Spaniard’s blows. On the other hand, a necessary respite: it was enough to watch the fitboxers or the group classes at Forus (body balance, body attack, les mils dance, hard cardio, body fight, zumba…) on the same stage where, shortly before midnight, Felipe del Campo and Radio MARCA performed with the special programme “Good Night and Good Goals”. in which there was time to take care of everything. The spectacle that unfolded on the Plaza, but, of course, the triumph of the national team. That it was a subject of conversation among the guests of the program and that it was already a subject of conversation between the aforementioned authorities. If we talk, it was even about the incomprehensible refereeing of the indescribable Taylor. This surprised more than one, look.
The dolls continued to point at the baskets, the bicycles continued to go round and round, the teqball tables contemplated the virguerías, rock climbing was the work of Sputnik, American football was the work of Madrid Bravo, the play area and the simulator counted dozens of people, the Fernandez-Poggio Sisters organized a golf exhibition…It didn’t stop until it had to stop. And the families loved it, because the large crowds were dominated by groups of fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.. The kids wanted to try absolutely everything and see who was that handsome guy who refused them. Because sport also serves to train people. It is health. It is happiness. It is life.
It was a summer night’s dream. Let us here restore the title of William Shakespeare’s play; not for nothing was the English playwright also the one who put into the mouths of the characters in Macbeth that there is no night so long that it does not find day. Fortunately, and at least to the contrary, This time there was no day so long that night did not come. Sporty, not just any. The same one from Madrid. Brand. And that’s all for those who wanted to enjoy it. So, new moon or not, it was a honeymoon.