Pedro Pichardo met with Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and asked him for a meeting, believing it was important for the bodies that govern the country to also meet with the athletes, and not just the managers.
“I saw him today, we said hello, he congratulated me. And I tried to send a message to arrange a meeting with him. I don’t know if it will work, I don’t know how things are, but I sent a message about meeting him,” he told reporters.
The 31-year-old jumper returned to the Stade de France this Saturday, where he won silver in the triple jump on Friday, to receive his medal after meeting this afternoon with the Prime Minister, who visited the Olympic Village.
According to Pishard, it would be good if politicians had a “meeting or conversation with athletes.”
“They always meet with the managers, but they never talk to the athletes. And it’s always good to hear the athletes’ side. What they need, what they think, how they are doing. Things are going well, aren’t they? And that’s very important. I hope to meet with organizations and people in our country and see if the situation improves, not only for me, but for Portuguese sport,” he suggested.
On the eve of winning his second medal for Portugal, the Olympic triple jump champion at Tokyo 2020 accused the government of only looking at football, citing the lack of support for the sport as one of the factors forcing him to consider retirement.
“I still don’t know [se vai retirar-se]. Yesterday [sexta-feira] I was already told that there was another competition. There was [etapa da] Diamond League. The businessman spoke to me on the phone yesterday and came to Aldeia today,” he said.
This Saturday, Pichardo was also more “worthy” of his silver, losing gold to Spaniard Jordan Diaz by just two centimeters.
“I have already accepted. Yesterday things were not going well, I made some mistakes. I accepted and I am very happy with the silver medal. I think any Olympic medal is always a good feeling. I already have a gold at home, another one at home, for Portugal. And I am happy, I am happy. Of course, I would have liked to win, but I am still happy,” he said.
Pichardeau also explained why he missed Friday’s press conference, saying he was not informed about it and that he was undergoing anti-doping control when it took place.
“I have taken more than 20 doping tests in a row. I don’t know why. Always blood tests. They go home, they go after work, they go to training. They follow me everywhere. I have never had a doping problem, I have never tested positive, I have never run away, I don’t know what is going on, I have also filed a complaint through my manager,” he said.