Natàlia Garcia: “The last two years I received triple from Instagram than from rhythmic gymnastics”

What started as a game, with balls and ribbons given to her for her birthdays, became a vocation for rhythmic gymnast Natàlia Garcia (Barcelona, 1994). At thirteen, she was selected to represent Spain at the junior individual European Championships: "Dozens of girls show up and they pick two. That was when I said: 'Wow, this is no longer a joke'". She continued training at the High Performance Center (CAR) in Catalonia and went on to become a five-time Spanish champion.

At sixteen, she began receiving Podium scholarships, which was the equivalent of a monthly salary. Federative grants and scholarships are one of the main sources of income for athletes. "I think I was the first gymnast, in the whole world, to have followers on social media," she explains. Brands paid her to promote products: "I was training eight hours every day and competing all over the world for scholarships of a thousand and something euros. And for sending me a cream at home and taking a photo, they were paying me the same". The initiative met with misunderstanding: "Look at her, she is unfocused," they told her. "I saw that I was getting older and could not work and, I saw the light. But it cost me a lot because I received a lot of criticism".

“After eight hours a day of physical sport, we have the invisible training that involves our whole life, rest, nutrition, physiotherapists, psychologists, and doctors,” asserts the gymnast. That is why she laments that the aid remains scarce and denounces the inequality with respect to other sports, especially men's sports.

Injuries highlight the fragility of the system, as scholarships depend on the results of the previous year: "I broke my hips training eight hours to defend my flag and my job. It is very harsh that the following year they take away my scholarships". She lost the Pòdium ones and was left with a federative grant equivalent to a third of what she was earning: "The last two years I received very little from my sport and double or triple from Instagram".

To the economic precariousness were added the competitive pressure and the aesthetic demand. In rhythmic gymnastics, the result depends on a jury: "It is not like swimming, where the one who arrives first wins. We stand in front of some judges". Garcia considers that contacts, politics, and cronyism can also influence the scores. Despite having won two European championships, she never managed to participate in any Olympic Games.

Weight control

Weight control also left a deep mark: "I experienced it very badly. I had an eating disorder." While her body was changing during adolescence, they would weigh her every Monday and Friday: "If one day you weighed more, they wouldn't talk to you, they would scold you and tell you that you wouldn't go to training, that you would spend the day on the elliptical." "They told you that you wouldn't get a good score because you were fat," she adds.

The six-time Spanish runner-up gymnast in the honor category stood out for taking the sport to the limit, doing unique things, and innovating. But the accumulated wear and tear led her to end up burned out from the sport. She created an extracurricular activities company to bring rhythmic gymnastics to educational centers. The project reaches 13 schools and organizes summer and winter camps. She also gives international masterclasses and has been a selector at the CAR for three years: "Economically, life after the federation is much better. There's no comparison."

She also participates in extraordinary projects like La Travessa, on TV3: "I loved the experience with my colleagues. We lived through very intense things in just a few days." The program has allowed her to combine her passion for sports with remuneration for each day of filming: "I left the CAR, and that implies a lot of responsibility. But I think it is well paid."

Garcia allocates part of her income to restaurants and travel: "It doesn't hurt me to spend money on a good dinner." Despite working intensely, buying a home will be difficult for her: "I have many business and self-employed expenses, and here there are many taxes." Furthermore, income depends on her availability: "If I am sick, I cannot give masterclasses and I don't get paid." She verified this when she spent a month hospitalized due to a serious illness: "They gave me about 300 euros. And I lost many opportunities."

This vulnerability generates indignation. "I think the government should help entrepreneurs. It is good for the country that young people move, do things, and innovate."