Juan Pablo Montoya sparked the debate: do athletes compete for themselves or for Colombia?

Juan Pablo Montoya He represented Colombia with honor on every track, in every Formula One race, he made the country put aside the ball or the bicycle for a moment and think about motorsports, he made a fan base get up early with him, race with him from a distance, suffer and pray with each of his intrepid turns, and celebrate his triumphs with a jubilation similar to that generated by the national soccer team. Montoya is considered one of the most important Colombian athletes in history and, with that authority, he opened a national debate by confessing that he always competed thinking of himself before the country. His words, in the middle of the Olympic Games, were direct, as if he were accelerating in the final stretch and leaving behind a cloud of smoke and the roar of engines that would not stop.

Montoya, who never hides his opinions, spoke out a few weeks ago. “I am proud to be Colombian, but no athlete grows up and spends the hours he spends thinking ‘I’m doing it for my country’, no, he does it for himself… One does the work for oneself.. It’s cool that people recognize your work and to hold the name of Colombia high, yes, but what do they owe me? I don’t know. It would be good to be an image for the sport, being like an ambassador in the world would be cool,” Montoya commented in La W and As.

The pilot’s opinions raise questions: why or for whom do athletes want to win? Does the flag that some display when they win, even when they receive no state support, weigh so much? Does that Colombian identity that is manifested in competitions push them? Or, as Montoya says, is it first for themselves, for their effort?

Montoya sparks the debate

When Colombian athletes compete, they usually follow a ritual: they sing the national anthem louder than the entire audience, sometimes they cry and put their hands on their chests where they wear their tricolor shields. This happens a lot with the national football team, but also in competitions such as the Olympics, and when they win, some say it is for their country, and when they lose, they say they gave everything for the flag and they even apologize to the country for failing. Even when they are not competing on behalf of the country, this national feeling comes to the surface.

In the words of the sociologist Alejandro Villanueva: “Today, the land does not generate as much attachment as the feelings associated with sport, which allow people to build a project of identity, a sense of belonging. This activity allows them to become social referents. The referents of national attachment are not the armies, but the athletes,” he says.

And he adds, in the case of Montoya, that “although sport constitutes projects of the idea of ​​nation, these are sometimes family or individual. Montoya achieved success thanks to the investment made by his father. He is right because he never received support from sports entities, and his vision is not wrong. But there are other ways to achieve success. The idea of ​​nation through sport is modern, and today it is an idea strengthened not only by the triumphs of the National Team, but by the sports that build identity projects: first, regional; second, local, and third, national.”

Montoya, who had seven victories and 30 podiums in Formula One, said what many athletes think and keep quiet, although there are those who believe differently. EL TIEMPO consulted athletes who have shone internationally in different disciplines. They gave their opinion. Some say that every effort they make is with the country in mind first. During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games It was common to hear Colombian athletes thank or apologize to the country after their performances.

The tennis player Camila Osoriowho was in Paris, where she reached the second round, was direct: “I do it for the country. I don’t think the same (as Montoya). I love competing for my country, for Colombia. Here you compete for everything, it’s not for yourself. I did it for my family, who has encouraged me.”

What the athletes say

Competing under a flag, whether in the Olympics or in another competition, motivates many people. Jackeline Renteriaa two-time bronze medalist in two editions of the Olympic Games, says that her performances were motivated by praising her country. “Before, we were known for coca, but with what the athletes have done, all that has changed and the concept of Colombia in the world is different. I always competed for the country and I felt proud of that. I always carried the flag with pride. I respect what he says, but athletes have a responsibility to the country and to the people,” says the fighter.

Mabel Mosquera Another Colombian sports star, the retired weightlifter and Olympic medalist at the Athens 2004 Games, is against Montoya. “I respect his opinion, but there is nothing more exciting for an athlete than hearing the name of his country. Just being part of the national team means that you are the best and you have a great commitment not only to yourself, but to an entire nation. We athletes prepare to be the best in each of the competitions, both national and international, and at those times everything is owed to a nation,” asserts Mosquera.

However, he points out: “If an athlete excels at an international event, the benefits are significant because doors open for you. But athletes must be clear that we are competing to be the best ambassadors for our country.”

There is also the case of those who have made (or made) a career abroad, who achieved success and, nevertheless, always thought of the country first. Adolfo the ‘Train’ Valencia He is one of them, a historic former footballer who shone in clubs such as Bayern Munich, in Germany.

El Tren assures that he thought of his nation with every goal: “Every Colombian athlete dreams of representing his country and doing it in the best way possible. I left my country thinking of doing things well and opening the door for other Colombians who dream like me. I went in to give everything for the country and I felt proud; and I left a legacy. As an ambassador for my country, the first thing in my mind was to do good to Colombia.”

But each case is unique, there are athletes who, in victory or defeat, think first of their loved ones or their coaches or those who have supported them directly. The race walker Eider Arevalo He also has this opinion. “I think that first comes the family and the people who know first-hand what it takes to achieve what you dream; and of course, the pride of wearing the tricolor on your chest, which represents that for me, which is the courage of being Colombian,” says the gold medalist in the 20 km at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

On the other road closer to Montoya is Maria Luisa Streetbronze medalist in the points event in cycling at the 2004 Athens Olympics, who had a ranking of priorities in his career.

“First, you do it for yourself; then, for the region, in my case, Antioquia, and then, for the country. I always thought about it that way, because what you like is to win, and you are the one who does it,” he says.

Pablo Romero and Lisandro Rengifo

Sports Editorial

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