The annual Gala of the Spanish Olympic Committee capped off a great 2022 for Spanish sports by handing out nineteen awards, eight of which went to athletes linked to the Universidad Católica de Murcia. Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, and Alejandro Blanco, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, presided over a ceremony held at the COE headquarters in Madrid, which was attended by Pablo Rosique, General Director of Sports for UCAM.

Five-time Olympic medallists David Cal and Saúl Craviotto were awarded the COE Legend and Special COE awards respectively, while swimmer Mireia Belmonte also received the COE Special Award in its female version. Teresa Perales, with twenty-seven Paralympic medals, received the Premio Superación (Achievement Award) and the Olympic karate champion Sandra Sánchez received the Premio Valores (Values Award). Olympic taekwondo runner-up Adriana Cerezo received the Revelation Award at the age of 19, and the Spanish men's water polo team, which includes the Universidad Católica student Alberto Barroso, received the Team Award.

The highlight of the event was canoeist and Olympic runner-up Carlos Arévalo, a member of the UCAM Murcia Club Piragüismo (UCAM Murcia Canoeing Club), who received the Sportsman of the Year Award 2022 for his stellar performance at the World Championships held last summer, where he won two gold medals.