The RFEDI awards the medal of merit to Eduardo Valenzuela, Mountain Director of Cetursa Sierra Nevada.

• The federation presents the medal of merit to Valenzuela for the organisation of international competitions in the Sierra Nevada and his support for Spanish winter sportsmen and women.
• Manuel Castro, president of the Monachil ski club, receives the same recognition for his promotion of winter sports over the last 40 years.

The Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation (RFEDI) has today awarded the organisation's sports merit medal to Cetursa Sierra Nevada's Mountain Director, Eduardo Valenzuela, for his decisive role in the organisation of international competitions, from the 1996 Alpine World Ski Championships to the latest major event, the 2020 Snowboard Cross World Cup.

In between, Valenzuela has been responsible for the organisation of the Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships in 2017, the FISU Winter Universiade in 2015, the FIS Snowboard Junior World Championships in 2012 and numerous Alpine World Cups, Snowboard World Cups and European Cups.

The award was presented by the president of the RFEDI, May Peus, and the general director of the federation, Olmo Hernán, who highlighted, among other merits, that Eduardo Valenzuela has been a member of the Council of the International Ski Federation (FIS) from 2018 to 2021, and of the drafting team of the Mainau Manifesto for the renewal of the environmental policy of the FIS.

"Thanks to his work, Spanish Olympic athletes such as Quim Salarich, Lucas Eguibar, Regino Hernández and Queralt Castellet have been able to train in excellent facilities, slopes and circuits, and compete at home in top-level events, obtaining brilliant results", Hernán praised Eduardo Valenzuela's career.

Manuel Castro, president of the Monachil Ski Club, was also awarded the RFEDI's medal for sporting merit for his promotion of winter sports over the last 40 years, under whose umbrella international level riders such as María José and Raquel Rienda have emerged. He also created the project for the exchange of athletes between Chilean resorts and Sierra Nevada.

At the ceremony held this afternoon at the ski resort, attended by the CEO of Cetursa Sierra Nevada, Jesús Ibáñez, the medals were awarded for the Spanish Alpine Absolute Slalom Championships and the SpainSnow FIS Trophy.

In the national championships, Nuria Pau (first) was escorted on the podium by Arrieta Rodríguez (second) and Miren Miquel (third), while in the men's category the gold medal went to Quim Salarich, followed by Juan del Campo and Aingeru Garay, while in the SpainSnow FIS Trophy, Lisa Vallcorba was first, Miren Miquel, second, and Celia Casasús, third. In the men's classification, Aingeru Garay won, while Quim Salarich and Xavier Cornellá Garay were second and third.