In Olympic Spirit, Madrid Buries The Fish

In Olympic Spirit, Madrid Buries The Fish

Madrid, 20 February 2009 - In honour of its current Olympic & Paralympic bid, the Madrid Carnival will kick off this Friday with a sporting parade. Founder of the modern Olympic Baron de Coubertin will be evoked in a procession around the Spanish capital’s centre to view the bid city and take in its modern marvels, along with fellow members of his Olympic Committee. Athletes will also be present: rowers doubling up as fishermen, boxers with enormous gloves, strong men and women, hammer throwers, tennis players. All will be dressed in costumes from the Olympic yesteryear of 1896, giving Madrid’s citizens a unique and aesthetic sporting experience.

The Madrid Carnival last for six days and is a popular annual event, culminating in the traditional Burial of the Sardine on Ash Wednesday. Its corpse, dressed in Sunday finery, is paraded through the capital’s streets and bars by the Happy Brotherhood of the Sardine before being laid to rest at the Fuente de los Pajaritos. The origins of this crazy pageant are unclear but it has been immortalised on canvas by world-renowned painter Goya (in Burial of the Sardine), suggesting it was fully established by the 1800s, although no fish is evident in the painting itself.

“The Carnival is a fun event and shows how much we enjoy ourselves in Madrid,” comments Madrid 2016 CEO Mercedes Coghen. “Taking our bid as a theme for the opening parade is a wonderful idea and we hope many citizens of Madrid will turn out to join in the celebration.”

Madrid 2016 formally submitted its candidature file to the IOC in Switzerland last week. The final vote will be held in Copenhagen on 2nd October.

ENDS

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