RCD Espanyol honors Juan Antonio Samaranch, former IOC president. RCD Espanyol's vice president, Mao Ye, represented the Club at the posthumous tribute to Juan Antonio Samaranch, former president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), held at the Palauet Albéniz gardens in Barcelona. The event, organized jointly by the Royal House, the International Olympic Committee and the Barcelona City Council, brought together numerous personalities from the institutional, sports and cultural spheres to pay tribute to one of the most influential figures in international sports. During the ceremony, his extraordinary career and decisive contribution to the development of sports, as well as his role in the international projection of Barcelona and his close link with the civil sports and cultural society of the city, were highlighted. Juan Antonio Samaranch also maintained a special relationship with RCD Espanyol. In 2000, he was part of the Honorary Committee of the Club's Centenary, a bond that the blue-and-white club remembers with appreciation and recognition. Additionally, before his distinguished institutional career, he was a roller hockey player. With his presence in this commemorative act, RCD Espanyol wanted to join the recognition of a key figure in the history of sports and in the projection of Barcelona in the world.