“The celebrations scheduled for today, which were co-organized with the Olympic Committee in honor of athlete Carlos Lopes for the first Olympic gold medal won 40 years ago by a Portuguese athlete, will be postponed to a date to be announced at an appropriate time,” the Lisbon City Council (CML) informed in a statement.
The tribute to Carlos Lopes, who became the first Portuguese Olympic champion by winning the marathon in Los Angeles 84, included the inauguration of a mural at the Prof. Moniz Pereira municipal athletics track and a public exhibition at Eduardo VII Park, near the viewpoint, as well as the presentation of three books.
José Manuel Constantino, who had presided over the Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP) since March 26, 2013, died on Sunday at the age of 74, after a prolonged illness.
“Professor José Manuel Constantino dedicated his life to sport. He was a voice heard and cherished by the entire society. He leaves us an enormous body of work for Portuguese sport, of which our Olympic heroes are the best example,” stated the CML.
The news of José Manuel Constantino’s passing was received with “deep regret” by the city council.
On Sunday night, on the social network X (formerly Twitter), the city’s mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), praised his life’s journey dedicated to sport and remembered that Lisbon recognized him with the city’s Medal of Sports Merit.
In the statement released today, the CML emphasized that José Manuel Constantino defended Portuguese sport at all times and encouraged all athletes to achieve their best, considering the Olympic season that ended on Sunday in Paris, in which Portugal had its best performance to date, as proof of this.
“Undoubtedly an inspiring legacy left by Professor Constantino,” the city council stressed.
Underlining that his death is a moment of sadness, the CML expressed its sincere condolences to the professor’s family, friends, and colleagues.
José Manuel Constantino led the Olympic organization in Portugal’s two best Olympic missions, with the conquest of four medals in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, following the debut in Rio 2016.
Before the COP, he presided over the Portuguese Institute of Sport and the Portuguese Sports Confederation. Author of books and published articles on sport, he was considered one of the great thinkers on the phenomenon in Portugal, which was recognized with honorary doctorates from the University of Porto in 2016 and the University of Lisbon in 2023.
