In Spain, tributes poured in following Fandiño's death, including one from King Felipe VI, who honored him as a “great bullfighting figure.” Then-Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also paid respects.
Fandiño's death came less than a year after another high-profile fatality in the bullring: Spanish matador Víctor Barrio, who was gored to death during a televised event — the first matador to die in Spain in three decades.
Bullfighting remains a highly controversial tradition. Though banned in some regions, it was declared legal in France in 2012, with courts ruling it part of the country's local cultural heritage. Spain, too, continues to protect the practice, despite growing calls from animal rights advocates for a total ban.
Renowned Spanish matador Iván Fandiño tragically died in 2017 after being gored by a bull during a festival in southwest France.
The incident occurred at the Aire-sur-l’Adour bullfighting event, where the experienced 36-year-old lost his footing after becoming entangled in his cape.
