Word: spain
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...what makes a champion - and in Spain's case, so many? For some, the country's victory streak is largely coincidence. "In sports, there's always an element of luck," says Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal's coach and uncle. "Rafael could have beaten Federer last year and moved past him, just as he could have lost to Federer this year at Wimbledon. Circumstances and details shape you and in a given competition shape the outcome...
...Spain ride the momentum through Beijing? Secretary of state for sports Jaime Lissavetzky told a press conference he considers the recent success "a good omen for the Olympics." Certainly Spain will be among the favorites in basketball and tennis. "Rafael will pay a price for so many recent tournaments," says Toni Nadal. "But the Olympics brings the best players, and their high level of play brings out the best...
...Others see broader forces at work, forces that stem from Spain's relatively late transition to democracy. "Until recently, sports weren't important in Spain," explains sociologist David Moscoso, of the Institute for Advanced Social Studies. "They really only existed in private schools - they were for the elite." With democracy, says Moscoso, "sports moved into the public schools, and became something for everyone. Now, it's impossible to consider Spanish society without sports." The transformation has been dramatic. Spain now boasts 250,000 public sporting facilities, its best-selling newspaper, Marca, is a sports paper and 70% of its Olympic...
...participation in sports seems to have spun a unique thread of national identity as well. Spanish athletes often use their moment of glory to give a nod to the patria. After winning Wimbledon, Nadal ran to embrace his coach and family, then stepped into the next box to greet Spain's Prince Felipe and Princess Leticia, thanking them by name minutes later while addressing the crowd from center court. Sastre spoke on Spain's national evening news of his pride in bringing glory to his country. Through sports Spaniards seem able to find a sense of national identity that...
...just ideals that have helped lift Spain. Investment in sport began to increase when the country hosted the 1982 soccer World Cup and then rose dramatically in the run up to and aftermath of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Sports clubs began to multiply, and the state created dozens of centers where thousands of elite athletes can train at the government's expense. "This has enabled a professionalization of sports unthinkable two decades ago," says Moscoso, "and encouraged Spaniards to see sports positively - fathers want their sons to be soccer players...