On Monday, May 9, the Alcobendas Campus of Universidad Europea hosted the Sports Industry Trends Observatory, with two round tables on the “Impact of sports on the economy and society,” moderated by Director of the MBA in Sports Organization Management Marisa Sáenz. This event is part of the research, debate and analysis being carried out to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Real Madrid Graduate School – Universidad Europea.
The first round table discussed the impact of sports on society and included the participation of Executive Advisor to the Office of the President of the National Sports Council Carlota Castrejana; Ingesport Health & Spa Consulting Corporate Director Alfonso Arroyo; GAES CEO Antonio Gassó; and CLC founder Ángel Sanz.
The second round table discussed the impact of sports on the economy and included Jordi Esteve, director of Economics Strategy&, part of the PwC network; Major Sports Events, Sport Facilities and Athletes Consultant Raúl Chapado (who led the Madrid 2016 and Madrid 2020 Olympic bids); Talentum founder Francisco Larrey; Executive Director of Page Executive Miguel Portillo; and Edouard Legendre, Strategic Planning Director at Geometry Global.
The audiences at the round tables included athletes José Luis Abajo, nicknamed “Pirri,” who won an Olympic bronze medal in fencing in the épée category at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008; and Spain's fastest athlete, Ángel David Rodríguez García, known as “El Pájaro.”
The main conclusions of the event included Carlota Castrejana's statement that “sports policies have a clear impact on society because sports unite societies and encompass health, tourism, and investment.” Along the same lines, Alfonso Arroyo noted that “sports give people a relational framework, because they bring people together.”