President Boric grants National Sports Award to Grimalt cousins
President Boric granted Chile’s National Sports Award 2022 to the Grimalt cousins. Find out more in the article below or at www.gob.cl.
President Gabriel Boric Font led the National Sports Award 2022 ceremony, which honored the Grimalt cousins for their outstanding performance with Chile’s national beach volleyball team.
At the ceremony, President Boric awarded certificates to Marco and Esteban Grimalt, together with María Jesús Véliz and Pablo Sirhan, young athletes who form part of the “Promesas Chile” program.
The National Sports Award acknowledges an athlete or group of athletes who have stood out for their performance in competitions during the previous calendar year, and the example they set for young people in the country.
The Grimalt cousins’ sporting achievements
The Grimalt cousins come from a family with strong links to volleyball, and grew up in Linares, Chile.
Marco and Esteban Grimalt were nominated for the National Sports Award by the Chilean Olympic Committee, and will compete in the 2023 Pan American Games.
As well as playing volleyball, they are both studying business administration at Universidad Andrés Bello.
The Grimalt cousins' achievements in 2022
The Grimalt cousins celebrated a range of achievements in 2022, including:
- A gold medal at the Elite 16 tournament held in Gstaad, Switzerland (one of the world’s most prestigious volleyball events, which forms part of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour), and a gold medal at the Asunción 2022 South American Games.
- Eighth in the 2022 global ranking.
- A silver medal in the South American Beach Volleyball Circuit finals in Uberlandia (Brazil).
- Fourth place at the global Elite 16 event held in Paris.
- Ninth place at the Beach Volleyball World Championships held in Rome.
Key achievements in the Grimalt cousins’ careers
Throughout their sporting careers, the Grimalt cousins’ key achievements include:
- Representing Chile at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
- At the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Marco Grimalt was a flag bearer for Chile together with Francisca Crovetto (sport shooter).
- Gold medals: Lima 2019 Pan American Games, Bolivarian Beach Games Lima 2012 and Trujillo 2013; Continental Cup 2016. They have also won gold medals in various tournaments on the world and South American beach volleyball circuit.
- Silver medals: Santiago 2014 South American Games, Santa Marta 2017 Bolivarian Games, and tournaments on the World Beach Pro Tour.
- Bronze medals: Medellín 2010 and Cochabamba 2018 South American Games.
What is the National Sports Award?
The National Sports Award was launched in 2002 through the Law on Sport No. 19,712.
This acknowledgment of lifetime sporting achievement can only be received once, and to obtain it athletes must be nominated by one of the following institutions:
- A Chilean sports federation
- The Chilean Olympic Committee
- The Chilean Paralympic Committee
- The National Defense Sports Confederation
What do National Sports Award winners receive?
Athletes who are granted the National Sports Award receive an incentive of 245 monthly tax units (UTM), with that figure increasing to 367 UTM if the prize is awarded to a team.
Award winners also receive a signed certificate from the President of the Republic.
The winning athlete or team is selected by a committee, which in 2022 was comprised of:
- Jaime Pizarro, Minister of Sports (committee chairman)
- Sebastián Keitel, senator (Evópoli)
- Marisela Santibañez, Chamber of Deputies member (PC)
- Israel Castro, director of the National Institute of Sport
- Danilo Díaz, president of the Sports Journalism Circuit