Alejandro Blanco: “We will continue to work until the end for the joint candidacy”

In the preview of visit to Madrid by the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas BachThe Spanish Olympic Committee held an ordinary Assembly where it was unanimously agreed to continue working to present a unified candidacy, then he attended the MD. The new is that in case this is not the case, with the aim of keeping the conversation with the IOC to celebrate the Winter Games at the appropriate time, the possibility opens up that if there is no agreement and any candidate wants to present another project, do this, and then the COE assembly will decide which project to present to the IOC.

In what situation is the candidacy at the beginning of June?

Now we have a firm decision to proceed with the project of the 2030 Winter Games in Catalonia and Aragon and we will have the necessary talks to proceed along the marked line, the same was indicated to the International Olympic Committee in the letter. which we sent to you in July 2021. We have started a new path, but have not forgotten everything we have traveled so far.

He always says that the candidacy is joint, but after the Ordinary Assembly of the COE things seem to have changed a bit.

From the COE we always opt for the joint candidacy of the two territories, but if at the conclusion of this whole agreement it is impossible, we are willing to allow the two candidacies to be presented separately. Then we will choose one, but the priority remains to submit a joint application. Catalonia and Aragon can present their own candidacy and COE members will choose one of the two candidacies.

But, despite this new path opening up, what happened so the rope broke?

We held six meetings of the Technical Commission where there was agreement on the technical program, and when we met with the political leaders there was a big disagreement because the president of Aragon did not accept the distribution of the technical commission, where there was three representatives of the central government, of Aragon and of Catalonia, appointed by their respective governments, and the representatives of the COE myself.

What was your reaction when this happened?

My first reaction was unbelievable, let’s see what happens. We held four meetings, and the representative of Aragón did not attend the first. We later realized that an agreement was impossible because of the distance between different positions.

What went wrong?

We did nothing wrong. There are two options to release the project. One by one, through the COE, and another asking everyone to participate and try to conduct a candidacy in accordance with the sentiments of the two territories. When there was a sports, technical, candidacy debate, it was quickly resolved, but when it came to politics, everything became more complicated and there was no consensus. I will not change anything that has been done so far.

But hasn’t such a situation been avoided?

No, I believe that situations and weather cannot change. What I believe is that everyone knows the distribution that was made, and the proposal for the snow was made by the representatives of the Government of Aragon, and for me it was a big surprise that the disagreements came after six meetings were held. . Everyone knows what distribution is and it’s always a technical agreement, putting the technical before the sport.

Is there a solution to the loop into which the application is inserted?

My impression and the way of understanding life is that everything has a solution, so the new position we adopted after the COE Assembly that I defined earlier. We must continue to debate, but I have no decision -making power of all the parties involved. The candidacy was presented by the COE, supported by the Government of Spain, and my intention is to continue talking about bringing the candidacy to Catalonia and Aragon. My ambition remains reconciled. I am always optimistic and I hope to reach the meeting point that allows us to have a candidacy that benefits everyone.

So, after all you expose, is the President of the Government of Aragon, Javier Lambán lying? Do you understand your position?

He said the word lie. I will not reject Javier Lambán nor will I enter into dialectical debates, to him I am only speaking about facts. He then made a great campaign saying that his technicians were not paying attention. I’m just saying that the technical proposal for the snow was made by your technicians. In this proposal, at that meeting, we were 13 people, the representatives of the three governments, central, Aragonese and Catalan, of the COE and me. Therefore, what I am clearly saying is that I did not lie. He then made a great campaign saying that all resorts in Catalonia have activity in the Games program and it is possible to see where there is this activity today, in three Catalan and three Aragonese ski resorts, not in all Catalan. I’m not lying. There are the numbers and the cast. And if we add ski touring and curling, the split is 4-4. And if we look at the global we can see that 54 trials will be held in Aragon and 42 in Catalonia. This is data. From there, if someone said I had told lies, they would be very easy to deny. I will not debate this. In my last media intervention I exposed the truth of the candidacy and people should judge and remember everything said.

So why does Lambán take this stand?

I have no answer, I will only answer the habit of the COE and its president.

Aside from the flexibility shown by the COE, it seems that the territory of Aragon, which is of the Pyrenees, has taken a step forward and they do not want to miss the opportunity represented by hosting the Winter Olympics.

We continued to receive messages from various areas and sectors of Aragonese society, and there was a manifesto from politicians, including business leaders, asking the COE to fight and talk to them so as not to disappear this project. This was not done by the COE, it came to him, from the people in charge in Aragon who wanted the Games to take place. The question is, why if there are large sectors asking for this, does anyone object?

Despite all these travels, you are always optimistic.

Always, because if it is not very difficult to face big challenges in sport and in life, when there are difficulties it is when you need to be more optimistic and have clear goals. And I will continue. Perhaps we are too focused on the negative and not talking about the positive. The push for the candidacy will continue, in the central, Catalan and Aragonese governments, as well as in the business of the two territories. The negative cannot prevail over the positive. The fact is that we see the results of surveys where there is a very high level of people supporting the candidacy.

A candidacy with the support of the Pyrenees and the Government of Spain.

Olympic projects to celebrate the Olympic Games are presented by the country’s Olympic Committee, which is always supported by the country’s Government. The Spanish Government has kept its commitment to the Olympic bid from the very beginning and has ratified it several times. We also received the full support of the Catalan government, where we work intensively, clearly, clearly and honestly, but not only with those responsible for management, including Pere Aragonès and Laura Vilagrà, but also with Jordi Sánchez de Junts, with the PSC with Salvador Illa, Jaume Collboni and David Escudé, with businessmen, with unions, and we can transfer this support to Aragón. We had meetings with the business sector, and many entrepreneurs showed us their support, as well as from various town halls and counties, supporting the Games.

In case the candidacy does not progress, can we say failure?

I think the word failure is not. I don’t like it and I don’t see it that way. When you have an idea and you try to achieve it, if you don’t get it, I don’t interpret it as a failure. Failure is when you don’t try and you don’t care at all or you give up when faced with adversity, but if you are going to fight for a dream, what matters is the journey.

But, you will not deny to me that the image provided is not particularly beautiful.

A really negative image of the split is given, but the most negative thing is that someone immersed in the project can question the attitude of the COE, which is responsible for presenting the candidacy to the IOC. I say this because the COE has great prestige in the Olympic movement and in the world of sport around the world.

Were you even more offended by this comment?

Not always. I respect everyone. All I’m saying is a mistake.

These disagreements, will they end up deciding the IOC’s decision?

If you want to go into a debate so they give you a project and there is no agreement in the country itself, no one, not even ourselves, will give us a choice. The first thing to have is a good project, which I insist, we can have, and the most important thing is unity. Here we have something very important, that the project allows a regeneration of the mountains and the territory, which is very important for the future. A project based on understanding, respect and dialogue. These are the main lines, along with maintenance. If any of these concepts are missing, we are mistaken and do not give confidence to those who should give us the Games.

Do you believe that with all that has happened, the Pyrenees candidacy still has options?

Now, the main goal is to present the candidacy, and once presented, it’s time to think about the candidacy. The next thing is coming.

By 2030, is it on time?

Hopefully, it depends if we can come to an agreement soon. The sooner we have a project to present to the IOC, the better to see if we reach the races in 2030. We believe the Pyrenees will have the Games.

In addition, you don’t rule out the option of places from entering Aragon, which may seem strange because of Lambán’s attitude.

I remain optimistic and will continue to strive to achieve the candidacy, the agreement that allows us to present a solid, credible and sustainable project.

Do you see some Games only in Catalonia?

We are on a project, and the proposal we sent at the time was the joint proposal of Aragon and Catalonia, and if we cannot afford to advance this idea, we will see the option of other projects, as we said in the COE Assembly.

And, if it doesn’t come in time for 2030, will the project stay for 2034?

The goal is to go for the 2030 Winter Olympics, and in case the project doesn’t go ahead, we’ll move on. The idea that the Winter Olympics will be held in the Pyrenees cannot be lost. Our goal is to continue to achieve a Winter Olympic Games that contributes to the development of Spain and the Pyrenees, in Aragon and in Catalonia.