The audience in Oslo’s City Hall, which included members of Norway’s royal family, gave Sosa a long round of applause and a standing ovation.
There had been much speculation about whether Machado, who has been living in hiding, would be able to defy a travel ban to attend the ceremony in Norway’s capital.
In an audio recording shared by the Nobel Institute, Machado said “I will be in Oslo, I am on my way.”
However, the director of the Nobel Institute, Kristian Berg Harpviken, said that Machado was expected to arrive “sometime between this evening and tomorrow morning” – too late for the ceremony.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Nobel Institute had said they were in the dark about Machado’s whereabouts, triggering concern among her supporters.
Two of her children and her mother are in Oslo, hoping to be reunited with Machado after being separated.
