More than 32,000 women took to the streets yesterday Sunday in Madrid in the XIX edition of the Women's Race to support two important causes: unity against breast cancer and gender violence, with the number 016 alluding to the number Telephone assistance in cases of sexist violence.
The faces of well-known women were added to the cause, such as Carolina Marín, who acted as godmother of the race, or the soccer player Virginia Torrecilla, who has overcome cancer.
The controversy came after the awards ceremony, since among the gifts from the sponsors of the race, the winners were given a Thermomix kitchen robot, whose price is around 1,400 euros, and a vacuum cleaner.
The race is organized by the company Sport Life Ibérica, which works in collaboration with the sports area of the Madrid City Council, which promotes the popular race.
The criticism came through social networks yesterday afternoon and this Monday the number two of the Ministry of Equality has also questioned said gifts.
The Secretary of State for Equality and against Gender Violence, Ángela Rodríguez, has criticized the fact that the winner was given "a Thermomix" and the rest of the participants "0% products".
"If you succeed, stay at home, and if not, at least lose weight," Irene Montero's 'number two' has published on her official Twitter account, in relation to this event. In her opinion, "the problem is not what is 'pink' but that companies use it to cover up what is important, such as the fight against machismo." "Even more races are needed", she has pointed out in her publication.
The organization of the Race has responded to the "controversy" generated by this situation, pointing out that "the kitchen robot was not a prize", but "a gift, like so many others, that the sponsors have given after the test". And, in this sense, he explained that the organization "the only award it gives out are the trophies".
"We understand that from a biased perspective it can generate some controversy and we apologize if this has been the case and if any woman may have felt offended, but it is a product that we consider to be non-sexist and ideal for any athlete who wants to improve their nutritional habits," they explained in the statement.
"In any case, we accept the criticism, we reiterate our apologies if anyone has been offended and we promise to take measures to avoid this controversy in the future," they concluded.
