The general manager of Johan Cruyff Institute, Mariël Koerhuis, was included in the ranking of Spanish women’s sport at the Top Women in Sports Awards, presided over by the president of the National Sports Council, José Manuel Franco
Mariël Koerhuis, general manager of Johan Cruyff Institute, was recognized as one of the most influential women in women’s sport at the Top Women in Sports Awards, an event organized by the Women’s Sports Institute and 20minutos to recognize the talent and contribution of women in the world of sport. The event, sponsored by CaixaBank, Hyundai and the Community of Madrid, brought together more than 300 personalities from the institutional, business, cultural and sporting spheres at the Teatro Capitol in Madrid.
“It is an honor to be included among the managers, sportswomen, lawyers, coaches, doctors, influencers, academics and journalists considered to be the most inspiring women in sport in Spain. The strength to overcome challenges, the capacity to work tirelessly and the aspiration to continue to pave the way for greater professionalism and more female presence in sport are represented in each of these women,” says Mariël Koerhuis, who was included in the category of managers.
Mariël Koerhuis was interviewed by 20minutos.
For Encarna Samitier, director of 20minutos, this ranking represents “a very valuable list that symbolizes and illustrates what a long-distance race women’s sport is. My congratulations to all the women in the ranking for being a reference in the race of society as a whole towards real equality.” Laura Múgica, co-founder of the Women’s Sports Institute, also referred to this ‘race’, adding that “the 100 women represented have overcome obstacles, displayed creativity, courage and ambition; each and every one of them is an essential point of reference for the new generations.”
José Manuel Franco, president of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (National Sports Council), highlighted in his closing speech the importance of these awards “which contribute to increasing the visibility of women, something very important for which all of us who believe in this noble cause of feminizing sport in Spain must fight. All the members of the ranking represent the strength of a whole group that has fought and continues to fight for more opportunities, greater recognition and better spaces.”
At the ceremony, awards were given to different women in six categories: Special Award, for the Spanish gymnast, teacher and researcher, Elida Alfaro, and Benilde Vázquez, pedagogue and pioneer in research on women and sport; Special Communication Award, for the director, producer and scriptwriter Beatriz Carretero; Best Newcomer, for Lydia Sempere, motor racing driver; Paralympic Sportswoman, for the athlete Adiaratou Iglesias; Management, for the president of Bilbao Basket, Isabel Iturbe; Technical Staff, for the ACB coach Anna Montañana; Sports Journalist, for Eleonora Giovio, sports editor of El País, and Angie Rigueiro, sports presenter on Antena 3 TV channel; and Sports Figure Award, for Alexia Putellas, FC Barcelona and Spanish national team footballer considered the best player in the world; and for the karateka Sandra Sánchez.
