It is not the first time that The anthem of Spain becomes the protagonist of a sporting event due to a mistake and not due to the achievement of one of our athletes. And that is what happened again at the Triathlon World Cup in Hong Kong, where se lived a surreal and embarrassing moment at the medal ceremony.
The British SIan Rainsley achieved his first victory and won the gold medal. Rainsley managed to get rid of Americans Katie Zaferes and Kirsten Kasper to secure her first win at this level but the problem came at the medal ceremony.
Sian Rainsley, at the top of the podium, escorted by the Americans Zaferes (palata) and Kasper (bronze), and the first chords of the anthem sound. In theory The anthem of England had to be played, but what is playing is the anthem of Spain. The faces of the three triathletes say it all…
Slan Rainsley He covered the 750-meter swim, the 20-kilometer bike ride and the five-kilometer run in 59 minutes and 44 seconds.
However, this is not an isolated case and the blunders with the Spanish anthem are now part of sports history.
OTHER HISTORICAL MISTAKES
– He November 28, 2003, everything was ready for the Davis Cup in Melbourne when an embarrassing mistake impacted the Spanish delegation. In the midst of the opening ceremony, with half the world watching Melbourne, where the Davis Cup final between Australia and Spain was being held, and to the surprise and amazement of those present, lThe organization of the event played the Riego anthem, the official anthem of the Republic.
“Have these gone crazy?” shouted the players who could not believe the interpretation of trumpeter James Morrison. An embarrassing mistake that provoked indignation and the subsequent official protest of the Spanish delegation led by the Secretary of State for Sports, Juan Antonio Gómez Angulo, and the then Spanish ambassador in Canberra, José Ramón Barañano. As soon as the first bars of Riego's anthem were played, Juan Antonio Gómez Angulo and the Spanish ambassador stood up from their seats and the secretary of state addressed the players, yelling at them and making gestures from the stands. “Don't start playing, I take responsibility for the situation,” he ordered them with gestures of disapproval. “The Spanish delegation has been the object of an offense and so has the Spanish nation.”
– Although this incident is most remembered, it is not the only time in which the Spanish anthem acquired an unexpected role. In 2015, Carolina Marín achieved a masterful victory in the final of the Badminton world championship. The Huelva native was wrapped in the flag of Spain, she received the medal from her and the bouquet of flowers from her and prepared to listen to the anthem. The Royal March began with the usual “titi-titti, titi, titi, titititi”, but suddenly, it sounded: “Long live Spain! / raise your heads, sons of the Spanish people / who are rising again. The Spaniard couldn't suppress a small smile, but kept the type, with the number one below. “The Badminton World Federation and the organizers, the Indonesian Badminton Association, sincerely regret this unfortunate mistake,” they later apologized.
– The same thing happened to Alberto Contador, who won the 2011 Giro He heard the same lyrics at the top of the drawer. For the second time, the Pinto cyclist experienced a situation of this type. In the 2009 Tour de France it was the Danish anthem that accompanied his victory.
– In 2010, The United States MotoGP GP held in Laguna Seca left another priceless image: that of the Italian anthem playing instead of the Spanish one after Jorge Lorenzo's victory on the Californian track. The chords of 'Il Canto degli Italiani' only played for a few seconds but Lorenzo's face said it all.
– On July 29, 2001, the Spanish water polo team beat Yugoslavia in the final of the World Cup in Japan, but at the medal ceremony the anthem could not even be heard due to a technical failure. The Spanish players themselves limited themselves to humming it.