Alejandro Blanco: "Lambán has intended that the candidacy be a constitutionalism-independence struggle"

"More than failure, it is disappointment, but I have a very clear conscience," said the president of the COE about the frustrated project for 2030

   MADRID, 22 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), Alejandro Blanco, acknowledged this Wednesday that he was "disappointed" after announcing that he would not present a candidacy for the 2030 Winter Games, and lamented that the president of Aragon, Javier Lambán, had "pretended " that the proposal was a fight between "constitutionalism and independence", which he has described as "barbaric".

"I believe that more than failure it is disappointment. Great work has been done, many hours have been put into the service of the project, many illusions and many dreams and when you work intensely, the word failure does not enter my mentality, but disappointment does" , stated Alejandro Blanco in an interview with Europa Press.

According to the president of the COE, the agreement between the four parties involved to carry out the candidacy (Central Government, COE, Catalonia and Aragon) "complicates" when "politics comes into play". "In the end, someone (Lambán) has tried to present this candidacy as a struggle between constitutionalists and independentists, which is outrageous," he lamented.

"I am talking about the President of the Government of Aragon, Javier Lambán, everyone has to assume their responsibility. Not everyone is good, some of us have been right and others have been wrong. When we have gone on to define all the differences to the term constitutionalists-independentists, it is that we have left the plan," said Blanco, who admitted that the political meetings "should have been focused on the sports project, which generates employment and regenerates the territory," to prevent "the candidacy from being broken."

Thus, Blanco stated that he was aware that "a great opportunity has been lost", although he stressed that "an issue has been brought up on the table that has nothing to do with sport". "What every person with political responsibility has to understand is that we talk about sport and Olympism, or we go to the values ​​of Olympism or there is nothing to do and the candidacy is broken, that is the great lesson of what has happened", he explained.

"If we come here, it is to add, not to make differences. In sport, nobody talks about constitutionalism or independence, we talk about sport, values ​​and the image of Spain, we do not raise realities that are in another world, not in sport", proclaimed.

However, he stated that Javier Lambán is not the only culprit. "Each one who assumes their responsibilities and is aware of what their decisions have caused. From there, each one assumes what they want, what I say is what has happened," he insisted. "Each one of us knows what we have said and what the others have said. I do not attack anyone. This should make us reflect," he asserted emphatically.

This Tuesday, Blanco announced at a press conference that finally the COE will not present any joint candidacy to the 2030 Winter Olympics due to "there is no agreement" between the Governments of Aragon and Catalonia, and regretted that the project did not have a "route" to take it to the political arena.

"The most important thing in life, whether you agree or not, is to look you in the face, so that no one can tell you that you have lied. In all the interventions I tell the truth. The technical commission is the one that has approved the distribution , but in this specific case, with very good judgment, it was the Aragón technicians who presented the distribution. If you publicly say tomorrow that your technicians have been ignored and someone shows you that this is not accept reality," he said about the position of the president of Aragon.

Blanco said that "the easy thing" for Lambán is "to say 'they don't pay attention to me, they have more offices...'." and we have to be responsible for the consequences," he said.

"I haven't talked to Lambán. We'll talk in a short space of time. I have a very clear conscience, I know what I've said and what I've done, I know the meaning of all actions. When someone wants to talk to me I have no problem" , pointed out regarding his current relationship with the president of Aragon.

Blanco saw this project as a way to "go hand in hand with everyone", with "a meaning, not only internal, but very important to the world." "In the case of Catalonia with Spain, one more example has been given that sport can be one of the best factors for dialogue and understanding," he commented, lamenting that the "internal debate" has "affected the image of Spain". "We cannot present something to the outside when in Spain we do not have it agreed upon and insured," he stressed.

"In the sporting aspect, this candidacy was like Barcelona'92. There are young people with possibilities for the future, it would give them a great boost to increase the base and create a program of talents in the medium and long term and it would allow winter sports at the same level as summer sports", he affirmed resignedly.

For this reason, he reported that, although Catalonia "at a certain moment" did present a solo project to the COE, "it was never" sent to the IOC, since the body led by Blanco valued that including the entire Pyrenees and having Aragon would allow building a proposal "with more possibilities of success". "If tomorrow, today or the day after tomorrow Catalonia wants to go alone, as if any region with a mountain decides, the IOC has to support it", he pointed out without closing the door to a future candidacy.

Finally, Blanco addressed the option of Madrid hosting the Games, insisting that he has "never" been "reluctant" about this possibility, although he recalled that it is necessary to "go hand in hand with the IOC." "I have spoken many times with the mayor, we are going to speak with the IOC and when he says that it is time, we will go ahead. Now we are concerned about winter sports," he said, acknowledging that the organization of the Games in Spain is "the great challenge as a country". "Hopefully we can see a Winter and Summer Games in Spain," he settled.