AN OLYMPIC medallist has accused his federation of “disposing me like a bag of garbage”.
Rodrigo Germade was part of ‘s bronze medal-winning Men's Kayak Four 500m team at last summer's Games.
He also won silver in the same event during the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The medal won in made canoeing the country's most productive medal-winning event at the Olympics with 23 medals won, though it is second behind sailing for golds.
However, Germade has revealed he was suffering anxiety problems after the games last year before be was “discarded”.
Germade, 34, worked alongside Saúl Craviotto, Carlos Arévalo and Marcus Cooper to win win the bronze last summer.
Despite this, he will not be part of the national canoeing boat team this year.
Speaking to El Faro de Vigo, Germade said: “When I returned from the Games, I was anxious, like I was depressed, with no desire to do anything.
“I spoke to (coach) Miguel [GarcÃa], when I had already stopped training, and he told me to take a break, to disconnect before I could come back.”
Germade insists he had the support of the Spanish Federation at the time.
However, his lack of training after coming back from his break left him under-prepared when it came to qualifying for the next K4 500 event.
He said: “I was just eight-tenths away from making it to the final and getting a spot.
“I was ready to compete in one event, but when you put three on the same day with only three and a half months of training, it wasn't enough for me.”
But Germade believes there is more at work than simply missing the cut for the team.
He claimed: “They've disposed of me as if I were a bag of garbage.
“They've taken advantage of this to get rid of me.
“Not even the president, whom I considered a friend, has spoken to me.
“You expect a little empathy, some encouragement, nothing at all.
“They've wiped the slate clean.”
Germade has competed at the last three Olympic Games, only failing to win a medal at his debut in Rio.
He has also won three gold medals at the World Championships, also adding three silvers and a bronze to his tally.
