[Archive 2013-07-19] Wikinews interviews Spanish Paralympic track and field athlete David Casinos

Historical archive — originally published 2013-07-19. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

With the IPC Athletics World Championships scheduled to start Friday (today), Wikinews interviewed Spanish athlete David Casinos at Madrid–Barajas Airport Monday before he departed for Lyon, France.

((Wikinews)) Hello I'm interviewing David Casinos, Spain's most famous track and field athlete in Paralympic sport, for Wikinews. So you're competing at the IPC World Championships are going to win a whole lot of medals? Which medals are you going to win?

David Casinos :Well, I'd like above all to perform well, because it would mean I'd be closer to the medals. I'm humble in that sense. ((es))Spanish language: ‍Bueno, me gustaría sobre todo, primero hacerlo bien, eso significaría que voy a acercarme a esas medallas. Soy muy humilde en ese aspecto.

((WN)) As somebody who's been competing a long time in track and field, how has stuff changed form when you first started out to now?

David Casinos: The biggest change I've seen has been with regards to media, communication, but above all the Plan ADO Paralympic. The professionalization of Plan ADO, becoming professional sportspeople. Spanish Paralympic sports is now more known to the media and in the world. ((es))Spanish language: ‍El mayor cambio que he vivido yo ha sido la comunicación, pero sobre todo el Plan ADO Paralímpico. Profesionalizar el Plan ADO. Ser deportistas profesionales. El deporte paralímpico español es más conocido ahora por los medios de comunicación y en el mundo entero.

((WN)) Have there been more opportunities for sponsorship as your Paralympics profile has grown?

David Casinos: I've got several sponsors, one of them is Toro Loco, an energy drink, there's also Diputación de Valencia, Fundación Trinidad Alfonso, from Juan Roig, Mercadona, Moncada which is my townhall, Valencia Terra i Mar... I may be forgetting one of them now. I've got several. ((es))Spanish language: ‍Tengo bastantes patrocinadores, uno de ellos es Toro Loco, una bebida energética, Diputación de Valencia, Fundación Trinidad Alfonso, que es de Juan Roig, Mercadona, Moncada, mi ayuntamiento, Valencia Terra i Mar... Igual me olvido de alguno ahora. Tengo varios.

((WN)) In London one of the Australians said that it was time for athletics in the Paralympics to be able to become more professional and get shoe sponsorship. Do you know if any of the Spanish ones are covering shoe logos if they don't have sponsorship? [Editor's note: here the translator asked a different question in Spanish, about whether shoe brands were helping athletes.] ((es))Spanish language: ‍Resulta que los australianos han hecho que los patrocinadores patrocinen sus zapatos. ¿Esto pasa en los atletas españoles también?

((WN)) Is this going to be an issue? I mean is Spain at the level where it can become an issue?

David Casinos: I for example have a big sponsor, Italian Macron Sports, which also sponsors the Italian and Spanish Leagues of soccer. So I don't have that problem. I feel very supported. ((es))Spanish language: ‍Yo por ejemplo tengo un patrocinador muy grande, se llama Macrón Sports, italiano, y es patrocinador de la liga italiana, la española, de fútbol, y yo tengo su patrocinador. Yo no tengo ese problema. Me siento muy arropado.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Wikinews interviews Spanish Paralympic track and field athlete David Casinos by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.