Spanish women's running event apologises after awarding winners kitchen appliances and low-fat products

Officials of a Madrid women’s running event have apologised after awarding winners of the event kitchen appliances and low-fat products.

The Carrea de la Mujer race is a 7-kilometre track that often gathers upwards of 30,000 participants every year.

The competitors race through the streets of Madrid, starting at the National Archaeological Museum and finishing at a monument in the city’s west.

The 2023 edition which took place on the Spanish Mother’s Day - Sunday, May 7, had 32,000 participants.

However, despite the race being on Mother’s Day and being exclusively for women, organisers claim they hadn’t considered that their prizes could have sexist implications.

The kitchen appliances were donated by a sponsor of the race.

They released a statement, as per Fox Sports: “We understand that, seen from a biased perspective, it can generate some controversy, and we apologise if this has been the case and if any woman may have felt offended, but it is a product that we consider not to have a sexist character and that it is ideal for any sportsperson who want to improve their nutritional habits.

“In any case, we accept the criticism, we reiterate our apologies if anyone has been offended, and we promise to take measures necessary to avoid this controversy in the future.”

Serbian runner Ivana Zagorac took home the race with a time of 24 minutes and 7 seconds, finishing alongside her twin sister Sladjana who came second with a time of 24 minutes and 8 seconds.

It was a sprint finish between the two sisters to end the race in an exciting fashion.

The prizes became a public issue when Spain’s Secretary of State of Equality, Angela Rodriguez Pam tweeted about them.

Her tweet translated to: “In the Women’s Race, the first-place woman was given a [food processor] and the rest were given 0% [fat] products.

“If you win: housewife and, if not, at least [you’ll] lose weight. The problem is not the ‘pink’ but that companies use it to cover up what is important, such as the fight against sexism.”