- 6 minutes ago
This is the true story of Spain's intellectually disabled (ID) basketball team, told through the perspective of Ramon Torres, the team’s captain.
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*CREDITS:*
*Story Producer/Script:*
_David King_
*Sound Design:*
_Edward Julian_
*Animations:*
_David Michaels_
*Video Editing:*
_David King_
________________
*CREDITS:*
*Story Producer/Script:*
_David King_
*Sound Design:*
_Edward Julian_
*Animations:*
_David Michaels_
*Video Editing:*
_David King_
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00They were destroying the Japanese team so badly that their own coach told them to take it easy in the
00:05second half.
00:06It felt like an odd thing to ask of a team competing at the highest level of competition in the
00:11Paralympics.
00:12But as the second half ended, despite their coach's request, the Spanish basketball team still demolished Japan 87-20.
00:20The team's captain, Ramon Torres, could hardly believe how well they were doing.
00:24The matches that followed were closer, but Ramon and his team continued playing incredibly well,
00:29and they defeated every other team in their group.
00:32After growing up enduring years of bullying for his intellectual disability, Ramon felt like he had finally found his place.
00:39And in their final match, despite Ramon sitting on the bench for most of it, Spain defeated Russia 87-63.
00:46Ramon accepted his gold medal alongside his team and as they returned home, Ramon, with his medal around his neck,
00:52looked around the airport in awe.
00:54He couldn't help but smile as the people at home cheered his name.
00:58It was the proudest moment of his life.
01:01However, only weeks after getting home, Ramon's father took him aside and told him something that would completely upend everything
01:09he thought he knew.
01:11Ramon's team was being accused of cheating, and the coveted gold medal that he had fought so hard for was
01:18now going to be taken from him.
01:20Ramon had a hard time comprehending how suddenly everything shifted for him.
01:25Only days earlier, interview requests and sponsorship offers had been rolling in, and he was being hailed a hero for
01:31people with intellectual disabilities.
01:34But now, the phone calls and attention he started getting were very different.
01:38People were still recognising him in the street, but now, rather than celebrating him, they called him a cheater and
01:44berated him for faking his disability.
01:47But he wasn't faking anything.
01:50After all, he had the scars to prove it.
01:52See, ever since Ramon was a young boy, growing up in England, he'd always felt different to the other kids
01:58around him.
01:59But, being born at a time when there still wasn't much knowledge or understanding about intellectual disabilities, he spent most
02:06of his youth feeling isolated.
02:08Being forced to sit at the back of the classroom, facing the wall, wearing a dunce's hat as punishment from
02:13his teachers for not comprehending the lessons.
02:16The other kids would laugh at him, spit on him, and beat him.
02:20And even when his family did finally get an official diagnosis of intellectual disability, his own dad perceived him as
02:28a failure.
02:29However, Ramon's mother, on the other hand, didn't treat him any differently.
02:33She believed he could do anything the other kids could do.
02:36And Ramon's sister, looking past how Ramon presented on the surface, could see that there was strength inside him.
02:43Ramon's sister encouraged him to pick himself back up whenever others tried to knock him down.
02:48And through time, Ramon started believing in himself too.
02:56Ramon was 12 years old when his parents got divorced.
02:59He was separated from his sister and mother, and he moved to Spain with his dad.
03:04But rather than being the fresh start that Ramon's dad thought it would be, the sudden change left Ramon even
03:10worse than before.
03:11With nobody there to encourage him anymore, feeling all alone, and now being bullied by kids in a language he
03:17didn't even understand.
03:19After school, Ramon would sit in the street outside his home, throwing stones at the street number.
03:24It was cathartic to him.
03:26He would see how many times in a row he could hit the number, and after days of practicing, he
03:31was actually getting pretty good at it.
03:33But soon enough, his dad grew tired of hearing the stones hit the wall.
03:37The piercing ding of the stones hitting the number was getting on his nerves.
03:41So, he told Ramon to stop.
03:44But his dad did something which surprised Ramon.
03:47He didn't just order him to stop.
03:50Even his dad could see that Ramon needed something to engage with the world on a physical level more so
03:56than an intellectual level.
03:57And so, he took Ramon to the shops.
03:59And to Ramon's surprise, his dad bought him a gift.
04:03His first basketball.
04:05Ramon was over the moon with excitement.
04:07It was the first time he'd ever truly felt seen and understood by his father.
04:12Ramon didn't let that basketball out of his sight.
04:15He'd bounce it everywhere he went.
04:17Off the ground, off the walls, outside, inside.
04:20He'd sleep, even shower with it.
04:22And pretty soon, with his constant practice, he became remarkably good at controlling the ball.
04:27And as he watched the other kids and practiced throwing at the local basketball ring,
04:31it started feeling like the first thing he could actually do better than the other kids his age.
04:36And as his dad watched him excel, that's when they discovered Andy.
04:41A Spanish foundation dedicated to assisting ID athletes.
04:45Athletes with intellectual disabilities.
04:48It was a network that organized leagues, training, competitions and connected players to coaches who actually understood them.
04:54Ramon played through Andy's regional teams.
04:57And as his passion for the game bubbled to the surface, along with the toughness and strength his sister had
05:02always seen in him,
05:04he started breaking free of the self-doubt that had plagued him.
05:07Ramon started finding his voice and his confidence.
05:11And that's when he met Andy's founder and president, Fernando Martin Vicente.
05:17Fernando's reputation was built on opening doors that had been slammed shut on people with intellectual disabilities.
05:23A passion which he would say was driven by a deeply personal motivation.
05:27To help those just like his own daughter who also had an intellectual disability.
05:32Fernando was also the president of FETI, the Spanish Federation of Sports People with Intellectual Disabilities.
05:39He lobbied federations, assembled squads, pushed for Paralympic inclusion
05:43and promised athletes like Ramon that their talent would never be overlooked because of an IQ test.
05:49He was determined to prove that ID athletes were just as capable at competing at an elite level as non
05:55-disabled athletes.
05:57And Fernando was willing to do just about anything to prove it.
06:01Under Fernando's guidance, Ramon's talent exploded.
06:04Playing for the FETI national squad, Ramon became the captain of the team.
06:08And he learned how to lead.
06:10How to calm a team that's rattled.
06:12How to communicate clearly.
06:14And how to control the tempo of the game.
06:16With each trip, Barcelona, Madrid, then out to Brazil and Poland for ID League championships and friendlies.
06:22Ramon met and he earned the trust of his fellow ID athletes.
06:27Fernando also started to trust Ramon.
06:29And Ramon, in turn, was deeply appreciative of everything Fernando had unlocked for him.
06:35But nothing could prepare Ramon for what Fernando would ask of him next.
06:41When the letter arrived at his home, Ramon's dad was the first one to find it.
06:46With a smile, his dad passed him the letter over the dining table, saying simply,
06:51Ramon, this one's for you.
06:53Ramon held it, opened it, and as he looked at the letterhead, he started shaking.
06:58He recognized the Paralympics logo, and he knew what it meant.
07:03Intellectual disability events had finally been given full medal status at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
07:10It was a landmark moment for ID athletes all over the world.
07:14And four years later, Sydney 2000 was set to introduce ID basketball, the world stage Ramon had dreamed of.
07:22Ramon had heard that Spain was searching for players for its ID basketball team to go to the Sydney Games.
07:28And now, with this letter, Ramon had been officially invited to be a part of the team.
07:33And not only that, but he was being asked to be the captain, under the endorsement of a familiar name,
07:40Fernando Martin Vicente.
07:42Who had apparently also added vice president of the Spanish Paralympic Committee to his growing list of positions of power.
07:49As the letters went out, Spain's roster was shaping up to be one of the strongest teams at the Paralympics.
07:55Ramon recognized a few names on the list, players he'd played with and against in other top-level ID tournaments
08:02across Spain.
08:03But there were also some new names, including Adolfo Pavetta, a non-disabled player who had been asked to join
08:09the team as a support player.
08:11See, in the Paralympics, some disciplines, mostly in visually impaired categories, allow athletes to have another person with them in
08:18a supporting role.
08:19In track, some athletes with vision impairment run tethered to a guide, who matches their cadence and brings them to
08:25the line.
08:26In cycling, vision impaired riders compete on tandem bikes, with a sighted pilot up front.
08:32And in skiing events, vision impaired athletes follow a guide down the course, taking verbal cues at speed.
08:38However, there was a problem with Adolfo Pavetta being added to the team as a support player, which is that
08:44in events for athletes with intellectual disabilities, there's no such thing as a support player.
08:51When Adolfo arrived at the airport with his tickets in hand, ready to make his way to Sydney, it was
08:56his first time meeting the team.
08:58And it didn't take long for things to feel off.
09:01He introduced himself as one of the support players, and he was surprised by how typical most of the other
09:07athletes seemed.
09:08And when he introduced himself to the captain, Ramon Torres, Ramon seemed a little confused too.
09:14Ramon had met a few of the other athletes before.
09:17He knew Juan Perica from Barcelona, and a few of the others he'd played with in Brazil and Poland at
09:22ID tournaments in 1998 and 1999.
09:26However, Ramon found himself having a hard time keeping up with the conversations the other athletes were having.
09:32And as they filled out their customs declaration forms upon entry to Australia, he and Juan seemed to be the
09:39only two in the team who were having a hard time with the paperwork, asking for help while the other
09:44teammates breezed through.
09:45As a team landed in Australia, they found their accommodation, and Ramon tried to put his concerns to the back
09:52of his head.
09:53After all, the team was chosen by Fernando Martin Vicente.
09:57He must have vetted and confirmed the other athletes' disabilities before recruiting them.
10:01He's not the type to make a mistake with something that important and fundamental.
10:07Ramon lay down in his hotel room bed, and he tried to get some sleep.
10:13As the day of their first game arrived, Ramon was feeling more ready than ever.
10:18Their first match against Japan kicked off, and the Spanish team absolutely dominated.
10:23Ramon played pretty well himself, but as he watched the other players in his team, he felt almost like he
10:28was just along for a ride.
10:30The chief executive of the Australian Paralympic Committee even stated himself that some Spanish players were so talented they could
10:37play in Australia's National Basketball League.
10:40Spain's coach even seemed to be surprised by his team's abilities too, telling them at half-time to take it
10:46easy in the second half, which Ramon assumed was to prevent the players from injuring themselves before the rest of
10:51their games.
10:52As the days went by, the Spanish team continued to dominate the competition.
10:58But despite the success, Ramon and Juan couldn't shake the feeling like something wasn't quite right, and they started feeling
11:05like outsiders in their own team.
11:07They found themselves on the bench far more frequently than the others in the team.
11:11And even after the wins, Ramon and Juan were the only two who seemed interested in checking out the other
11:18sports at the games.
11:19The others would go off gallivanting around Sydney, and it was only in the mornings after that Ramon would overhear
11:26the others laughing about the parties and nightclubs they went to the night before.
11:30Adventures which apparently he and Juan weren't invited to.
11:34But despite the cold shoulders of his team, Ramon knew they had to focus.
11:39They only had one more match left.
11:42The final against Russia.
11:44The game against Russia was a lot rougher and more competitive than all the other games prior.
11:49Even the strongest players in the Spanish team seemed to have finally met their match.
11:55However, they continued fighting, and as the final buzzer sounded, Ramon looked up at the scoreboard and his jaw dropped.
12:0487-63.
12:05They had done it.
12:06Ramon and his team had actually won Paralympic gold.
12:11Ramon could hardly believe it.
12:13He embraced with his team, and at the medal ceremony, Ramon stood proudly alongside the others as Fernando Martin Vicente
12:19placed the medals around their necks.
12:22The Spanish national anthem played, and the team posed for a photo for the Spanish newspapers.
12:27Ramon couldn't wait to share the win with his family.
12:32When Ramon flew back home, he didn't take off his medal.
12:35And after his plane landed and he exited the airport, he was greeted by the proud Spanish people chanting his
12:41name.
12:42See, by now, the photo of the team had circulated in the newspapers at home, celebrating the team's win, and
12:48Captain Ramon had basically become a household name.
12:52Ramon lapped up the adoration, while the others in the team seemed overwhelmed and nervous by the newfound attention.
12:59But for Ramon, he finally felt respected and appreciated like he never had been before.
13:05For a few days, Ramon's life back home became nearly unrecognizable.
13:10Neighbors that used to pity him now wanted a photo.
13:13His dad kept the kettle hot for visitors, and every time the doorbell rang, Ramon stood a little taller.
13:18It was the proudest moment of his life, and he felt like nothing could take that away from him.
13:25Ramon was in the living room with his family when he first found out about the article in Capital magazine.
13:31Of course, Ramon had been suppressing his own incredulities about his team.
13:36But when he saw the truth in bold print, it was far worse than he could have possibly imagined.
13:41An inside reporter who had somehow infiltrated the team had uncovered that 10 of the 12 players on the team
13:48didn't meet the intellectual disability criteria at all.
13:52And there it was, the photo of the medal ceremony.
13:56The same one he'd been proud to frame only days earlier, reprinted as evidence.
14:02As Ramon made his way through the list, he couldn't believe what he was reading.
14:06These weren't just the ring-ins like Adolfo, who Ramon hadn't met before the games.
14:10These were people he'd played with for years at the highest-level ID tournaments in Brazil in 1998 and Poland
14:18in 1999.
14:20And at the bottom of the article, there was the name which surprised him the most.
14:24The article had been signed off by Carlos Ribagoda.
14:28The insider wasn't just one of the support workers, medical staff, or physios who had been travelling with his team.
14:35Carlos was one of the players.
14:37In the article, Carlos revealed that he was an undercover journalist, enjoying the ride to a gold medal, ostensibly, to
14:45write this bombshell exposé.
14:47Of course, everything he wrote appeared to be true, but he didn't have any recordings or photos, like one would
14:53expect of a reporter investigating this deep undercover.
14:57Some felt like he was just covering his own tracks, writing the story only after hearing whispers that the fraud
15:03was about to be exposed,
15:05trying to position himself as the hero in a scandal he himself was complicit in.
15:10After all, he had played for Spain's ID basketball team in multiple games before he was even recruited for the
15:172000 Olympics.
15:19Carlos pointed the finger at Fede, the Spanish Paralympic Committee, and in particular, Fernando Martín Vicente, as being the architect
15:27of the fraud.
15:28But despite the overwhelming wave of accusations, Fernando confidently denied everything.
15:34He insisted he had medical proof, and he initially produced official-looking documents for every player.
15:40But they were all lies.
15:42It was discovered that doctors had signed off on fake psychological evaluations, and officials had rubber-stamped falsified test results.
15:51When the news reached the International Paralympic Committee, Spain was stripped of its gold medal status.
15:57Russia, the silver medalists, were offered the gold, but they were given one condition, provide evidence of their own team's
16:04eligibility.
16:05They quietly refused.
16:07The subsequent investigation uncovered systemic cheating within Spain's intellectually disabled sports federation, revealing a staggering number of athletes were ineligible.
16:17And it wasn't just Spain, either.
16:20It was later revealed that nearly two-thirds of all the ID athletes who competed at the Sydney Paralympics weren't
16:27eligible to compete.
16:29Believing the entire category was irrevocably tainted, the International Paralympic Committee responded by banning all events for athletes with intellectual
16:37disabilities.
16:39After the scandal, for nine years across two Paralympic cycles in Athens and Beijing,
16:44an entire generation of legitimate ID athletes were shut out of the Games.
16:50Their dreams crushed.
16:52The International Paralympic Committee worked to develop more robust classification procedures and oversight mechanisms,
16:59and events for athletes with intellectual impairments were eventually reinstated for the London 2012 Paralympics,
17:05but on a limited basis, with only 120 athletes competing in athletics, swimming and table tennis.
17:11To this day, ID basketball has still not returned to the Paralympics.
17:16In the aftermath, the investigation into Fernando shifted from cheating to outright theft.
17:22Ramon was called to Madrid to review financial documents of government grants he was supposed to have received for his
17:28training,
17:28but he had never seen a cent.
17:30Fernando Martin Vicente, the man who positioned himself as a saint for the disabled community,
17:36had used his foundation as a personal piggy bank, siphoning off the money meant for athletes,
17:42the funds for equipment, for travel, for medical support, and he funneled it into his own accounts.
17:48And with that money, he had built a massive property portfolio and a collection of luxury cars,
17:53a lavish lifestyle funded by the stolen hopes of the very people he claimed to champion.
17:59The criminal investigation took 13 years until it finally went to trial,
18:04and in 2013, all the players and staff were acquitted of any wrongdoing.
18:09Fernando was the only one who faced repercussions, if you could even call it that.
18:14He accepted a fine of just 5,400 euros,
18:17and he agreed to return 142,000 euros in government funding.
18:21But for Ramon, this didn't feel like justice.
18:25The years that followed were hard.
18:27Ramon no longer felt like he could trust those in power to keep him safe.
18:31He developed a drinking habit,
18:32and he started hanging around dangerous people in organized gangs.
18:37Paradoxically, they were the people who actually made him feel safe.
18:40He felt like being associated with those kinds of people,
18:44nobody would mess with him anymore.
18:46He used the pain of tattoos as an expression of the hurt that was inside him,
18:51and he covered just about every inch of his skin.
18:54But today, after more than two decades defined by the scandal,
18:57Ramon is thankfully in a much better place.
19:00He's now under state guardianship,
19:02and he lives with support workers who help him manage his daily life with his disability.
19:06And in 2024, Ramon met face-to-face again for the first time in 20 years
19:12with the one person in the world who understood everything he went through,
19:16Juan Perica,
19:17to play a game of one-on-one basketball together.
19:20No crowds,
19:21just the only two players in the Spanish team
19:24who actually deserved a shot at the medals which had been taken from them.
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