BEIJING, Aug 21: Spanish sailors Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz won an Olympic Games gold medal on Thursday and marked the occasion by donning black armbands in honour of the 153 people killed in the Madrid air disaster.

Echavarri and Paz clinched their first Olympic medal in the Tornado class at Qingdao, seeing off Australian pair Glenn Ashby and Darren Bundock.

The duo then climbed the podium wearing a black armband each despite Spanish media reporting that the IOC had banned such public gestures as well as the flying of the national flag at half-mast at the Spanish section of the Athletes Village.

The IOC said that although there was no formal ban on armbands, they preferred delegations to mark solemn occasions such as the Madrid crash in other ways.

“With 204 countries represented, many opportunities present themselves in the duration of the Games where athletes wish to make a public gesture,” said an IOC statement.

A minute’s silence was held in honour of the victims at the Spanish delegation’s headquarters here.—AFP