Congratulations to Diana Flores from Mexico, IWGA Athlete of the Month for February 2023!
It’s for a good reason that we publish this week the news about the quarterback and captain of Flag Football Team Mexico, gold medal winner at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, USA. It's the week of International Women's Day, and Diana Flores considers herself to have a special responsibility for women in sport. About her success at The World Games last year, the 25-year-old says: "Every one of us understood that the impact of that gold was way bigger than ourselves. That we were fighting for something bigger. We were fighting for all these young girls that are coming behind us. That's what really helped us do magic on the field. And win that historic gold - make history."
This quote can be heard in "Diana Flores Tells Her Story”, a commercial at the 2023 NFL Superbowl finals. The commercial, first screened on 13th February, attracted worldwide attention. But Diana Flores is not only a star who encourages women to prove themselves in sport; she is also an ambassador for The World Games, the multi-sport event that gives athletes the well-deserved "biggest stage" (Diana Flores).
NFL Super Bowl LVII Commercial ‘Run With It’ with Diana Flores has been viewed 4.6 million times on YouTube in just three weeks since its publication in February. In a social media video clip – shot by a volunteer for The World Games, after the final at the Games in 2022 – she says “A dream comes true”. The video has been viewed more than a million times on The World Games Facebook page. Mexico beat Team USA 39-6 at the Legion Field Stadium on 14th July 2022 and truly made history. It’s the first time Flag Football has been on the The World Games schedule.
And Diana Flores also shared why Mexico won this first title in The World Games history: "It is because of the passion and the hard work of the whole team." Passion and hard work put her in a position to lead her team-mates to success. She started playing Flag Football at the age of eight, encouraged by her father. Later she was told she wasn't big enough to be a quarterback, wasn't strong enough for the position and couldn't be a great leader. But Diana Flores refused to be swayed.
Now she has proved to the whole world that she is a top quarterback, big and strong enough to lead her team to gold in Birmingham. Her success and her performance at the Superbowl finals is a big step for her sport and for women in football. What she also says has meaning not only on International Women's Day: "Everything that is happening right now is not only because of my passion and the love I have for what I do, but it came from the support of my family and through not giving up".
If you want to brighten up your day, do watch these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKdBaqSsw8c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MLCf2gsC3E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqGYf64HU8
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association, organised with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The World Games 2022 was held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and 100 countries took part in the Games. The 12th edition of The World Games will be held in Chengdu, CHN in 2025.
