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Iñaki Urdangarin

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Template:Spanish name

Iñaki Urdangarin
Duke Consort of Palma de Mallorca
Iñaki Urdangarin
Born (1968-01-15) 15 January 1968 (age 56)
Zumarraga, Basque Country, Spain
SpouseInfanta Cristina
IssueJuan Valentín Urdangarín y de Borbón
Pablo Nicolás Urdangarín y de Borbón
Miguel Urdangarín y de Borbón
Irene Urdangarín y de Borbón
Names
Iñaki Urdangarín Liebaert
FatherJuan María Urdangarín Berriochoa
MotherClaire Liebaert Courtain

Iñaki Urdangarín Liebaert, Duke Consort of Palma de Mallorca (born 15 January 1968) is a prominent retired handball player. He is the husband of the Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.

Personal life

Urdangarín is the son of Juan María Urdangarín Berriochoa (b. Zumarraga, 19 September 1932), of Spanish Basque, and Belgian (both Walloon and Flemish) descent and wife Claire Liebaert Courtain (b. ca. 1945). He has spent almost all his life in Barcelona. He has an older brother named Miguel (Mikel) Urdangarín Liebaert (born in 1967, unmarried and without issue), and sister, Cristina (married with four children, and now residing in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States). His paternal grandparents Laureano de Urdangarín y Larrañaga (Zumarraga, 8 September 1898 - Zumarraga, 29 December 1982) and wife Ana de Berriochoa y Elgarresta (Villareal de Urrechua, 31 August 1902 - Zumarraga, 27 February 1996) were entirely from Basque small nobility.

Sports career

Olympic medal record
Men’s handball
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Team Competition
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney Team Competition

At the age of 18, he became a professional handball player with FC Barcelona, where he remained until his retirement in 2000. He became Spain's most successful handball player, winning more than forty trophies. Meanwhile, he studied at the Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ESADE) in Barcelona, from which he received a master's degree in business administration.

As a member of the Spanish handball team, he participated in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics, serving as team captain in 2000.

Marriage and children

It was at the 1996 games in Atlanta that he met the Infanta Cristina, whom he married in Barcelona on 4 October 1997. They have four children, all born in Barcelona:

They lived in Barcelona until 2009, where Urdangarín was director of planning and development for Motorpress Ibérica and a founding partner of Noos Consultoría Estratégica. Since then they have lived in Washington DC since 2009, where he works for Telefonica.

He has been a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee since 4 April 2001, and was elected first deputy chairman on 16 February 2004. In 2001, the Duke of Palma received the Grand Cross of the Spanish Royal Order of the Sports Merit (Real Orden del Mérito Deportivo).[1]

Corruption and money laundering scandal

In November 2011, Urdangarín was accused of diverting public funds for his own profit through the Noos institute in the 'Palma Arena' case.[2] Searches were conducted at the Noos institute by the Spanish Anticorruption bureau.[3] The daily El Pais has released a suspicious budget document for one international event that was organized by the aforementioned institute which was managed by Urdangarín at that time.[4]. It is believed that he persuaded various Spanish public administrations (mostly regional governments) to sign agreements with his company, the Noos Institute (which was supposed to be a non-profit organization) for both works that were never done, and works that were dramatically overbudgeted up to €5,800,000 from public Administrations.[5]

In December 2011, the Anticorruption bureau confirmed that Urdangarin had been sending important sums of public money to tax havens in Belize and the UK.

Also in December 2011, the Casa del Rey of Spain announced that it had decided that the Duke of Palma was not going to participate in any official Royal Family activity for the foreseeable future, as a result of the Instituto Noos scandal.[6]

Titles and styles

  • 15 January 1968-4 October 1997: Iñaki Urdangarín Liebaert
  • 4 October 1997-: The Most Excellent The Duke of Palma de Mallorca

In view of contradictory Spanish legislation enacted over the past 30 years it is not entirely clear if Urdangarín is, except by social convention, entitled to be considered a Duke.[7]

Spanish royal family
Coat of arms of the King of Spain

King Juan Carlos I
Queen Sofía

Extended royal family

Children of the late Duchess of Badajoz:

  • Doña Simoneta
  • The Viscount de la Torre
  • Don Bruno
  • Don Luis

The Duchess of Soria and Hernani
The Duke of Soria and Hernani

  • Don Alfonso
  • Doña María

The Dowager Duchess of Calabria

Royal styles of
The Duke of Palma de Mallorca
Reference styleHis Excellency
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Alternative styleSir

References

  1. ^ Template:Es icon Royal Decree 1369/2001 The Duke of Palma member of the Royal Order of the Sports Merit.).
  2. ^ Template:Es icon Iñaki Urdangarin is involved in the 'Palma Arena' case
  3. ^ Template:Es icon Anticorrupción registra la fundación de Iñaki Urdangarin
  4. ^ Template:Es icon http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/11/09/actualidad/1320868088_382205.html
  5. ^ Template:Es icon Los gestores de Nóos facturaron al Instituto 1.700.000 euros cuando ya no funcionaba
  6. ^ http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/12/12/espana/1323686462.html
  7. ^ Duchy Original: The Palma title at home and abroad

Enlace señala noticias polemicas

The arms of Iñaki Urdangarín.

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