In 2027, UCAM will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Three decades with a distinctive and avant-garde university model due to its commitment to students, research at the service of society and evangelisation, and which is intrinsically linked to supporting athletes, promoting sport and promoting its values.  

Precisely because of its commitment to sport, UCAM has been recognised for the second time in its history with the Joaquín Blume Trophy from the Higher Sports Council (CSD). This distinction underlines, among other aspects, UCAM's leadership in the Spanish University Championships and its prominent presence in the Endesa Basketball League as well as its projection in disciplines such as table tennis and football. Likewise, UCAM’s participation in Paris 2024 was the highest of any university in the world, with 65 athletes who won five gold medals, five silver medals, seven bronze medals and 45 diplomas.

The UCAM president, María Dolores García, received the award from King Felipe VI, who was accompanied by Queen Letizia, Milagros Tolón, Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, and José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, president of the CSD. This trophy is awarded to the university or educational institution that has excelled the most during the year in promoting and encouraging sports and physical activity.

José Luis Mendoza, in memory

What's more, this is the second time that UCAM has received this award, having won it in 2012, when the founder of the institution, José Luis Mendoza, collected the trophy from Crown Prince Felipe.

María Dolores García, at the conclusion of the ceremony held this morning, expressed her satisfaction for the recognition received and recalled the figure of the founder of the institution, as his drive and desire to help athletes was key from the beginning: ‘Given the need for athletes, at the peak of their performance and competition, not to abandon their academic training with a view to the future beyond their professional careers’. Thanks to the synergy between Alejandro Blanco and the Spanish Olympic Committee, we have joined forces to consolidate a project that is bearing great fruit. Our commitment to sport is absolute at all levels: from supporting grassroots and elite teams in the ACB League to the historic success of our table tennis team. We will transfer this same approach to the Madrid Campus, where we plan to open a Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences in the medium term, reinforcing our commitment to high-level training and research in health and nutrition.

The event also featured a sportswoman linked to UCAM. The walker María Pérez, winner of two Olympic medals in Paris 2024 (gold and silver) and four times world champion, has received the Queen Letizia Award. Meanwhile, Álvaro Martín, María Pérez's partner in the Olympic gold medal in the walking relay in Paris, has been awarded the King Felipe Award. Martín is coached by José Antonio Carrillo, president of UCAM Athleo. 

UCAM: the University of Sports

This recognition is in addition to other distinctions that UCAM has received in recent years in recognition of its work in the promotion of sports, such as the Award of the International Olympic Committee, the European Athletics Award and the Spanish Olympic Committee Award

Joaquín Blume, a Spanish sports icon

Joaquín Blume (1933-1959) was one of the great figures of Spanish artistic gymnastics and a symbol of national sport in the 1950s. He stood out for his elegance, discipline and technical excellence. His promising career was tragically cut short in a plane crash in 1959, which cemented his status as a Spanish sporting legend. In recognition of his legacy and the values of self-improvement and exemplarity that he embodied, the Consejo Superior de Deportes awards the Joaquín Blume Trophy, one of its most emblematic awards, destined to distinguish educational centres and universities.