The ceremony was presided over by M. Vicenta Mestre, Principal of the Universitat de València. She was accompanied by Jorge Rodríguez, Mayor of Ontinyent; José Antonio Pérez, Director General of Univeristies; Santiago Aniceto, Vice-president of Caixa Ontinyent; and Ferran Calabuig, Dean of the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. Ruth Beitia, high jump athlete, gave a master class on the role of women in the Olympics through her personal and professional experience.

In addition, also in attendance were M. Elena Olmos, Secretary General; Ángeles Solanes, Vice-principal for Lifelong Learning, Teaching Transformation and Employment; Ester Alba, Vice-principal for Culture and Society; Juan Vicente Climent, University Manager; Joan Enric Ubeda, Director of the Principal’s Office; Antoni Merelles, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Podiatry; Ana Botella, Dean of the Faculty of Teacher Training; as well as representatives of the local council, the university community and several organisations from Ontinyent.

This year, Ontinyent and the Universitat celebrate the 25th anniversary of the opening of the UV University Extension in Vall d’Albaida. During the last 25 years, the Universitat has expanded from its original location to what is now a university campus with undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and an important educational and cultural activity throughout the year.

In her speech, the Principal of the Universitat stressed the importance of this academic year, as 2024 will be a year of celebration, since 525 years of the founding of the Universitat de València will also be commemorated. In addition, she thanked Ontinyent and its mayor for the commitment shown all these years and for having worked together with the Universitat to promote the economic, social and cultural development of the town.

Both the Principal and the Mayor spoke of the establishment of a sub-site of the Science Park of the Universitat de València as “the next step” in the growth of the Ontinyent Campus: “Meetings have been held and the aim is to find suitable spaces and companies that could be set on the Campus,” said the Principal.

Jorge Rodríguez pointed out that the 25th anniversary of the Campus “is the perfect time to review the collaborative work between the Universitat and the local council, Caixa Ontinyent and the other patrons of the University Foundation. It is also the time to look forward, both in the Science Park sub-site that is being worked on and in the possibility of the implementation of a fifth degree that could serve as a new stimulus for the growth of the Campus.”

In her speech, Beitia first made a historical review of the evolution of the presence of women in sport and specifically in the Olympics. Then, she talked about the evolution of women’s sport in Spain and she mentioned numerous women who have become sporting references, such as Lilí Álvarez, first Spanish Olympian in 1924. She also talked about the recent successes of athletes such as Lydia Valentín, Carolina Marín or herself. Lastly, she recalled her personal sporting career, which has led her to be considered the best Spanish athlete in history.


Ruth Beitia

Born on 1 April 1979 in Santander (Spain), she is a high jump athlete. In 1998 she broke her first Spanish outdoor record when she jumped 1.89m. Then, she broke her own record several times, being the first Spanish athlete to break the two-metre mark. She won the Spanish Outdoor Championships 12 times and the Spanish Indoor Championships 15 times from 2003 to 2006. In addition, she became the European outdoor champion in 2012, 2014 and 2016, and bronze medallist at the 2013 World Championships. She was also a champion at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016 and received the Queen Letizia Award in 2017.