The Olympic flame of Paris 2024 will burn in 'the city of light' from next Friday, at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, so athletes from all over the world are already travelling to the capital of France, with the aim of participating in the most important sporting competition on the planet. Spain goes to the Games with a team of 382 athletes. The first group left today to settle into the Olympic Village and begin preparing for their participation in the gamces. 

Of the more than 80 UCAM members who will be in Paris, including Olympians and Paralympians, thirteen Olympic ones have left today. María Dolores García, UCAM president, met them just before they left for the airport and wished them the best of luck in achieving their goals: ‘I see a lot of enthusiasm and joy in them. They have given up a lot of things throughout their preparation to achieve the dream of being at the Olympic Games. Now the big moment has arrived and I believe they will bring back many medals to the joy of Spain and our university community.  

The UCAM athletes present in this first group were Fátima Gálvez (Olympic shooting); Lola Riera, Coti Amundson and Patricia Álvarez (hockey); Pablo Abián (badminton); María Xiao (table tennis), Carlos Llavador (fencing); Liliana Fernández and Paula Soria (beach volleyball); Javier Pérez Polo, Adrián Vicente and Cecilia Castro (taekwondo); Cristina Cabaña (judo); and Diego García (athletics). 

Fátima Gálvez is looking forward to the competition and, without wanting to add pressure on herself as Olympic champion, she said: ‘My expectations are to enjoy every day that I have left before the competition, although, obviously, when the time comes, I will be fully  concentrated and ready to fight for the medals.’ For her part, María Xiao, who has completed a great season with UCAM Cartagena Table Tennis, and who is well aware of UCAM's commitment to sport, said that the presence of José Luis Mendoza, UCAM founder, who was the driving force, together with Alejandro Blanco, of the alliance between the university and the Spanish Olympic Committee, will be missed: ‘I have been at UCAM for many years and I consider the university as part of my family. It is strange that the former president is not with us, but I see it as an added motivation to try to take the university to the top steps.’