Gregg Popovich is not only the most reputable active coach in the NBA, a true icon who has led the Spurs for 28 seasons and who, at almost 75 years old, faces the exciting challenge of molding the latest pearl of world basketball, Victor Wembanyama.. The former USA coach, trained militarily in the Air Force, is also one of the most respected voices in American society.. This Wednesday he appeared before a small group of international journalists -EL MUNDO among them- and, in addition to a review of the current events of the recently started season, the coach spoke forcefully about the terrible conflict between Israel and Gaza.

He did it after an excited question from an Arab journalist. “Of course I'm following what's happening there. It is much more important than basketball. “Everyone with a brain and a heart should understand this.”. Because Popovich, far from avoiding the answer, expanded and left a harsh message to the leaders who are trying to solve the conflict without any success.

“We all wish we had an answer. Many people have tried to solve this problem of Palestine for decades and have not succeeded,” he began his reflection, emphasizing the importance of continuing to talk about it, “the more, the better.”. “All our hearts die when we see the horror that Hamas committed. And then we felt the same seeing the bombs falling and killing children and civilians in Palestine,” he denounced.

“The circle has to stop”

“As we speak we know there are people trying to solve this. Should there be a ceasefire or not? How do we move forward? Is it a military solution? The same thing over and over again. And we just hope that we can find leadership somehow, because I think that's what's always missing.. “Can't there be men or women who sit down and solve it?” asked the veteran coach, whose father is Serbian and whose mother is Croatian.

“At some point this circle has to stop. And someone has to have the integrity and the courage to say, 'Let's start from here.'. Somehow the past has to be forgotten. Because every time the past appears, decisions cannot be made. People close themselves in their own worlds and we kill more children,” denounced Popovich, who launched a fierce criticism of leaders incapable of empathizing with civilians who are suffering the consequences of war: “It is difficult for me to understand, all those People who are so inflexible about their positions have children, they have grandchildren…. Is not sufficient? I wish there were leaders who could grab certain people by the throat, put them in a room, and tell them they're not leaving until they figure out the solution.. It sounds simplistic, but someone has to have the courage and I don't see it.”

The most expensive entrance to La Eragudina was 15 euros. The cheapest, for teenagers who were members of Atlético Astorga, just three. The municipality of León, with just over 10,000 inhabitants, hosted the Copa del Rey nine years later. He did it with the club navigating the Tercera RFEF, the fifth division of Spanish football, and with a coach, Joselu Lago, who had been on the grass the last time the team stepped foot in the KO tournament.. At that moment Racing de Ferrol gave them a painful 5-1, and yesterday Andorra, led by Eder Sarabia and owned by Gerard Piqué, threatened to walk away.

Atlético Astorga, 13th in Group 8 of the Tercera RFEF, acted as David and beat Goliat, an Andorra team that is 16th in La Liga Hypermotion, six points above relegation. “This is Astorga!” they shouted in the stands. Iván Vales' goal in the first half was enough to complete the great surprise of a Wednesday that was as festive as it was crazy.

In the carousel of encounters that this attractive format provokes, no Primera fell, although more than one brushed against hell.. Cádiz needed to go to penalties for David Gil to play the hero against Badalona Futur, from the Second RFEF. 0-0 in 120 minutes and 2-4 from the eleven meters. Girona also suffered, which Savinho saved with a Maradonian goal in the 98th minute, when the fans of San Roque de Lepe, also from the Second RFEF, already smelled extra time.

The rest of the teams in the top category thrashed their rivals, but they were part of the cup dream of the modest teams. Celta visited Turégano, from the First Regional (6th division) and with an annual budget of 70,000 euros, approximately what Rafa Benítez, coach of the Vigo team, earns in a week. The Segovian club, from a town of 978 inhabitants, mobilized 3,500 fans to the La Albuera stadium, in the provincial capital. There they observed an honorable 0-4 that left them out of the tournament but made them part of history.

Something similar happened in Lugones, where Atlético, the local team, member of the Asturian First Regional, lost 0-6 against Rayo Vallecano. They debuted extra stands and new artificial grass to fall with honor against the Madrid team. As in Quintanar de la Orden, whose team is also in the First Regional, where Sevilla managed to win, suffering at times, by 0-3. “Today we are going to show that a humble and hard-working team is capable of achieving whatever it sets out to do,” the locals harangued.

The afternoon left several penalty shootouts, overtime and failures for some Second Division teams. In addition to the surprise of Astorga, Terrassa, from Second RFEF, beat Albacete, also from the silver category. A 1-0 that eliminated the 17th classified in Second. In Zamora the other heroes of the afternoon shouted. The local team, from the Second RFEF, eliminated Racing de Santander on penalties, historic in Spanish football and eighth in LaLiga Hypermotion.

Barbastro, from the Second RFEF, defeated Ponferradina, from the First RFEF. A triumph similar to that of Arandina over Real Murcia, who arrived in Aranda being from a higher category. There, the local footballers decided not to play the first minute of the match in protest of the debts that the club maintains with the squad, to whom, according to them, they owe more than two months of salary.. “The sports equipment has not been renewed either, which is very deteriorated, which complicates our daily work,” they claimed in a statement published by AFE.. After standing, they won 1-0. Valle Egües, from the Segunda RFEF, also won at home against a Primera RFEF, Teruel, thanks to a goal in extra time. Modest surprises.

Meanwhile, Getafe had a feast of goals at the El Alcoraz stadium, owned by Huesca and loaned to Tardienta for the occasion. The Regional team accused the change and suffered the most painful defeat of the entire round: 0-12. Mallorca beat Boiro (0-4) and Real Sociedad suffered a lot to leave the Buñol field alive, in the Valencian Primera Regional, where they won 0-1 with a goal in the 67th minute.

Also a celebration for Betis, who beat Hernán Cortés 1-12. The Extremaduran team celebrated the 1-10 with great joy.

In Spain, all chess championships are mixed, unlike what happens in almost the entire world. Then, an absolute classification and another feminine classification are established.. The International Federation (FIDE) seems interested in following that path, as its president, Arkady Dvorkovich, has acknowledged to EL MUNDO, but it follows it with caution.. A good example is the Veterans World Championships being held these days in Italy, where men and women compete separately.. It may be a coincidence, but the Spanish route, imperfect and criticized, has led to the first surprises.

Last weekend the Spanish Championship ended in Marbella in which Sara Khadem, famous because she fled Iran by refusing to wear the veil, fought almost the entire tournament in the first tables. They finished in tenth place, tied on points with the sixth place, with only one defeat in nine games.. Marta García, champion in 2022, finished with the same score and eleventh. No less notable was the performance of Sabrina Vega, who only made half a point less and defeated the grandmaster Maksim Chigaev. She was twentieth of 96 participants.

The three (and some more, like Eihartze Buiza) played without complexes against many of the best chess players in Spain, who no longer see it as a bargain that they have to face a woman. It is not the first time that a player shines in the tournament either.. Olga Alexandrova was third a few years ago – she did not win due to excessive honesty – and the young María Eizaguerri has triumphed in several Spanish championships in lower categories, not only in the children's categories.. In 2021 he won the national mixed under 18.

There are more and more recent examples: a few weeks ago, Tatiana Grabuzova won the women's gold and finished fourth in the absolute classification, tied on points with José Candela (bronze). The Moscow-born player believes that one of the most determining differences between men and women is energy and physique, something that attenuates after the age of fifty, which is why in veteran tournaments she does not feel at a disadvantage.

Why is there a difference?

Not even that factor is universally accepted, like the sociological and cultural aspects. International teacher and coach David Martínez, who has been working with Sara Khadem since April, assures that he does not see any disadvantage in her physique.. He says this with knowledge, because he is now the coach of the Spanish men's team, but he has been the coach of the women's team for years.. “The women I have worked with have plenty of strength and are very prepared to endure a four-hour game,” she says.. “Aside from that, if that were a reason, they would play quick games much better and that doesn't happen.”

Divis, as he is known in the world, points out another factor, which is no longer taboo: «Cases of sexual harassment, especially on social networks, are by no means an exception.. All the players I trust have told me very unpleasant episodes. It's something disgusting, much more than what you might think from the outside.. I am sure that there are a million bullies in the world and that some of them are chess grandmasters.

Susan Polgar, former world champion, also defends that this causes numerous abandonments among girls. It is no coincidence that a few days ago the Women in Chess foundation was born, whose main objective is “to create a more inclusive and safe environment for women in chess competitions.”

Possible Spanish queen

David Martínez changes third and also highlights the ability to compete and the extraordinary future that Sara Khadem has. «Can fight for the female world number one. He has a lot of room to raise 100 Elo points and, taking away Hou Yifan, who barely plays, and Judit Polgar, who is retired, that would be enough. Sara doesn't have to feel inferior to anyone. “I'm not satisfied with him reaching the top 10 in the world.”.

Divis is also very happy about the Spanish Championship that his girls have played, with whom he has been in the national team for many years: «I have been very happy. It was great to see them. “It has been a Spanish championship with a very high female level.”

Is the formula of not separating men and women the correct one then? «It has a defect: the women's classification is a little more…. murky, because it is decided in games against people who have nothing to do with it. The advantage is that this way they play the absolute and it is a pleasure to see that they face great masters and do it well..

«I couldn't say if this narrows the gap between men and women, but I do know that Sabrina, Marta and Sara are much better off playing this tournament than a women's championship.. The formula is not one hundred percent fair,” concludes Martínez, although just this year Sara played against Marta and won, so there has been less controversy.. «Maybe we should think of another formula, but I can't think of a perfect one.. A separate feminine would be fairer for everyone.. and also shit.

The coach ends up remembering a phrase from Sabrina Vega: «Chess is one and it does not have a last name.. It's not women's chess. It's chess and, at most, there is a women's category. I am very clear that the championship has to be mixed. “It's a fantastic invention.”

In 2016, Silvia Vásquez-Lavado became the first Peruvian to climb Everest, a milestone for mountaineering in South America, and in 2018 she completed the Seven Summits, the ascent of the highest mountains on each continent.. Her book In the Shadow of the Mountain has been translated into a dozen languages, including Spanish, El embrace of the mountain (Planeta 2023), and will soon become a film with Selena Gómez as the protagonist. Today the mountaineer lives from the conferences she gives around the world, runs her own NGO called Courageous Girls and is especially known in the United States, where she previously worked as a director of multinationals such as eBay and Paypal.. All that shines at the top. But… What was in the chasm?

«My story is a vulnerable story, a very intimate story. It is a story of survival,” he confesses to EL MUNDO in a telephone conversation from San Francisco, where he lives, and the narrative begins..

Vásquez-Lavado suffered sexual abuse from the ages of six to nine by an acquaintance of his family in Lima and in the following decades, although he went to study at Millersville University in Pennsylvania with a Fulbright scholarship, although he achieved success among Silicon Valley companies with positions of responsibility, the trauma of that violence haunted him. Alcoholism threatened his professional career and even his life, with several hospital admissions.. Until he stepped on the mountain.

What happened? It was medicine for me. In a vision [of ayahuasca, which he used as part of his psychological therapy] I saw the mountains and a girl who took me to walk through them.. At that time I had no interest in the mountains, but I decided to go trekking to Everest Base Camp.. That was 18 years ago and today the mountain still continues to teach me.

In 2005, at the age of 41 and after his first trip to the foot of the highest mountain in the world, Vásquez-Lavado embarked on a career as a mountaineer that took him to Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua and Vinson before returning to Everest in 2016 and trampling its summit. «I did it for myself and with a lot of respect for the mountains. Everest is a relic, we must respect it. At that time I had no intention of telling my story, of explaining myself in public, quite the opposite,” Vásquez-Lavado admits about his writing process..

The writing process

Suddenly, in 2020, during confinement, he found himself facing the harshest loneliness and, with his stability and sobriety at stake, he put his heart into it: he wrote his biography. «The pain, the shame, the fear…. I experienced very strong emotions in the writing process. I have not seen a mountain higher than that. I had the support of my therapist, but it was still a very painful process. Luckily, afterwards I felt a liberation, a lightness, a reconciliation with myself. Today I see the book as a blessing,” says the mountaineer.

In the book he narrates very difficult episodes, especially from childhood. Many women thank me for explaining it this way. There are abuse survivors who tell me that my current life gives them hope for their own situations. The book is complicated when I tell about my childhood, but I also talk about my addiction in a strong way and I have received comments about it. Many professionals see themselves reflected. I worked very hard, I had many goals, but I also destroyed myself and at that time, going in and out of clinics, my book would have helped me a lot. The shame he felt, so strong, would have subsided.

Today Vásquez-Lavado, who in recent years has overcome a brain tumor, plans to return to Everest accompanied by a young Nepalese woman she met in 2016 and, if possible, with a chain that begins at Nuptse and ends at Lhotse, the Triple Crown. As he travels the world thanks to the success of his book, he prepares his ego for the popularity that the film will bring him and continues giving lectures and more lectures. He is at the top years after knowing the chasm.