Carolina Marín will receive the Grand Cross of Sports Merit

Former badminton player Carolina Marín, gold medalist at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, three-time world champion and seven-time European champion, received this Tuesday the Grand Cross for Sports Merit, the highest distinction granted by the Spanish Government, in recognition of her sporting career.

This was announced by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports after the meeting of the Council of Ministers this Tuesday, for his “extraordinary sporting career” and his “decisive contribution” to the international projection of Spain.

With this distinction, which was presented this Tuesday by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to Carolina Marín herself, the Executive recognizes the career of an athlete who changed the history of Spanish badminton “forever.”

“Thanks to @carolinamarin, a minority sport entered homes throughout Spain and inspired many young people to enjoy badminton.
“Today we award the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit to the most successful player in history,” Sánchez wrote on her personal Instagram account, along with a video of the award presentation.

Born in Huelva in 1993, Carolina Marín has contributed decisively to the visibility and development of a sport with little tradition in Spain until the emergence of her successes.

His career has promoted the international recognition of Spain and has inspired new generations of athletes. Beyond her sporting achievements, Carolina Marín also represents the values ​​promoted by the Royal Order of Sports Merit: effort, discipline and perseverance, highlighting her ability to overcome serious injuries and return to the elite.

In fact, his career constitutes for the Executive one of the most outstanding examples of resilience in contemporary sport. Marín became Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and won three World Championships (2014, 2015 and 2018) and seven European Championships (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2024).

Likewise, he won the prestigious ‘All England’ twice (2015 and 2024). In addition, he reached number one in the world ranking and won 39 international titles. Among them, seven Superseries category tournaments.

In 2014 she became the first non-Asian player to win a World Championship, a historic milestone that consolidated Spanish badminton in the international elite and which she subsequently endorsed with two new World Cup golds.

Throughout her career, Marín has received numerous recognitions, including the Princess of Asturias Sports Award (2024), the gold medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit (2016) and the ‘Queen Letizia’ National Sports Award (2014).

“With the granting of the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit, the Government of Spain expresses the recognition of the entire society to an athlete who has enhanced the name of our country through her successes and who has been exemplary, on and off the track. And Carolina Marín is, without a doubt, an example of how talent, work and determination can break down barriers and open new paths for future generations,” the Ministry of Sports highlighted in a statement.

With the award of the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit, Carolina Marín joins a list that includes other athletes such as Pau Gasol, Rafa Nadal, Blanca Fernández-Ochoa, Andrés Iniesta, Teresa Perales, Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, Carlos Sáinz and Miguel Induráin, among others.