Madrid, March 30 (IANS) The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee Alejandro Blanco said on Wednesday that tennis star Rafael Nadal should bear the country’s flag during the opening ceremony of the upcoming Rio Olympics.
“Nadal should be the flag-bearer in Rio, especially now while being treated unfairly. He’s an athlete who deserves to feel the support and love of Spanish sport. He will remain as a benchmark in tennis,” Blanco said, reports Efe.
As for the spread of the Zika virus in host country Brazil, the Spanish official said that this particular issue has sparked his concern regarding the athletes’ security, however he explained that his concern is not grave.
Blanco expected that Rio 2016 will be a “spectacular” tournament, while he praised the performance of German Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee.
When asked about the future of Spanish national team coach Vicente del Bosque, Blanco said: “Del Bosque is the best coach in the world and we hope that he will lead La Roja to regain its reputation in Euro 2016. Everything he does look very good, and it is an honour to have him in Spain.”
