Paulo Futre, Mariana Machado and Patrícia Mamona distinguished

O former footballer Paulo Futre and Mariana Machado athletes, half distance, and Patrícia Mamona, from triple jump, were awarded on Thursday, in the seventh edition of the Sports Business Awards, held in Montes Claros, in Lisbon.

In a gala organized by the Sports Foundation, represented by its president Susana Feitador, and the Spanish foundation “Patrocina un Deportista”, Paulo Futre was awarded the Iberian Prize, a tribute to his sports career and contribution to the development of relations between Portugal and Spain.

“It is an honor to be here and have here the best president of the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) ever, Fernando Gomes, who will be, I am sure, the best president of the Olympic Committee of Portugal”, started by affirming the former player of the national team, after receiving the prize from the hands of the Secretary of State of Sport, Pedro Dias.

In his speech, after remembering the importance of the support of government entities in the development of sport in Spain, Paulo Futre asked the former president of the FPF if he “did he take the shirt 7 from the selection?”. Without audible response, he added: “Cristiano has to go out big and I have nothing against Jorge Jesus”, he defended, thanking the distinction.

Mariana Machado, considered one of the greatest figures in Portuguese athletics today, was distinguished, in turn, with the Sports Talent Award, delivered by Fernando Gomes and José Marques, president of Lactogal.

The athlete competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Paris2024, gold medal in the 5000 metres at the Chengdu Universiades (2021), silver medal in the 3000 metres at the European Juniors' (2019) and bronze medal in the European Under-Killed Cutter (2021).

“ It is an honor to receive this trophy, it is a great pride. I would like to thank you for this recognition, which has a very special value. I started with a very big dream of being in some Olympic Games, but I wanted to reconcile with my academic background, which was a great challenge. It was only possible with a great spirit of sacrifice, dedication, resilience and, with the support of my family, I managed to be at the Olympic Games in 2024 and finish my academic training this year”, said the Portuguese athlete.

In addition to high sports performance, Mariana Machado, 25 years old, completed her Master's Degree in Medicine at the University of Minho in July.

Patrícia Mamona, away from the competition for injury, was honored with the Academic and Sports Merit Award “UNIR .

A 37-year-old triple jump specialist, Mamona won the silver medal at the Tokyo2020 Olympic Games, where she established the current national record with a score of 15.01 meters. He won the gold medal in Amsterdam in 2016 and the silver medal in Helsinki in 2012 at the European Outdoor Championships.

It is also pointed out as one of the greatest exponents of success in dual careers, a cause that it defends sharply, fighting for better conditions for the transition of careers in sport.

“ Thank you for being honored not only for my sporting achievements, but for my academic background. I started my career in school sports and I'm already at a downward stage of my career, but I'm still working on my academic stage. You can be an athlete and a student. It is possible to go to the Olympic Games and study”, said Mamona, giving as an example Mariana Machado.

Closing the event, the Secretary of State for Sport praised the merits of all athletes and honored, such as Mariana Machado, who showed “how it is possible to have a high-performance sports career and a successful academic career”, and Joana Santos’ “extraordinary example” (judo), awarded the Sports Award for People with Disabilities, as well as Patrícia Mamona and Paulo Futre.

Among those present at the gala were the former athletes Pedro Dias (Judo), Carlos Martins (stable hockey), Domingos Castro (athletics and president of the Portuguese Federation of Athletics), António da Cunha (râguebi), Frederico Gil (ténis), Filipa Cavalleri (judo) and, in the directive field, the president of the Sports and Youth Institute, Ricardo Gonçalves, the presidents of the Municipal Chambers of Rio Maior and Nazaré, Filipe Santana Dias and Serafim da Silva, respectively, and Ana Simões, by the City Council of Lisbon, among other federative representatives and other sports entities.

The Sports Business Awards aim to highlight people, companies and institutions that support sports in Portugal, as well as to distinguish Portuguese personalities who stand out in various sports competitions annually.

A number of companies have also been awarded that stand out in several areas, such as health promotion and physical activity, sports for people with disabilities, support for sport, social sports project, inclusion, innovation, and women, company and sport.