Baghdad, Iraq, September 5, 2021: The President of the National Olympic Committee of Iraq, Raad Hamoudi, has paid a courtesy call to the new Spanish Ambassador to Iraq, Pedro Martinez.
The NOC President visited the Spanish Embassy in Baghdad last Thursday to congratulate the new ambassador on his appointment and wish him all success in his mission. He also said he hoped that the two countries could work together in the sports field.
Martinez welcomed Hamoudi and praised the role that sport was playing in the stability of Iraq. The Spanish Ambassador said Iraq had talent in many fields, including sport.
Hamoudi praised the Spanish Olympic Committee's positive attitude towards the Olympic scene in Iraq and also noted the advancement of Spanish sport and its great impact in Europe and globally.
The Iraq NOC President is hoping that Iraqi athletes can train in Spain in the near future and also that the two National Olympic Committees can renew an agreement on sports cooperation.
Martinez said Spain had six centres of excellence for Olympic sports which were established in 1988 in order to train athletes for the Barcelona Olympics four years later. This training had resulted in Spain winning over 20 medals at their home Olympics.
At the end of the meeting, Hamoudi presented the shield of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee to the Spanish Ambassador, who in turn gave a commemorative gift to the NOC President.