Alejandro Blanco: “I see an atmosphere that I have never seen in Spanish sport”

Unlike in previous editions of the Games, the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), Alejandro Blanco dares to predict that Spain will surpass the 22 medals of Barcelona’92 in Paris, its historic limitbased on the results of the last cycle but also in an atmosphere of optimism that I “never” felt before in the team.

Before traveling to the French capital, Blanco referred to as “alien” athletes such as Rudy Fernández, Pablo Herrera or Teresa Portela who will break the records of Olympic longevity in Paris.

– Question (P): What changed in this cycle that prompted you to predict that Barcelona’s 22 medals could be surpassed?

– Answer (R): I have not said this until these Games and I am not saying it because I thought about it. I say this according to the studies we were doing in the pre-Olympic years. In 2015, 34 medals were won, in 2019 41, in 2023 68. I spoke to many athletes and I see their faces, how they prepare and how their eyes light up when they talk about Paris. I see an atmosphere that I have never seen before, neither among the athletes, nor among the coaches or the federations. There is a general mood of optimism in Spanish sport. They go out to win all competitions. It doesn’t matter what their opponent is in front of them. We have also had many fourth place finishes from very young people who have reached their peak or are just world champions. They allow us to dream of surpassing Barcelona 22.

– Q: Does it help that we are one of the countries with the largest presence in the number of sports?

– A: Except for the four sports we have athletes in all of them and there is one fact that is very important to me. When the IOC was looking for 50% in men and women, we had 153-147, but now the COE, with 382 athletes, has 190 men and 192 women. It is 50% nailed. If the IOC wants to set an example of equality, it will do no better than the COE and that is a source of pride for me.

– Q: Are you among the medals in judo, which was your sport before leading the COE and you haven’t won since 2004?

– A: I think he deserves a minimum medal, because he has men and women ranked in the first places in the entire circuit. With the team he has now, I won’t make a mistake, judo brings medals and hopefully medals.

– Q: What do you think that the Spanish federations like athletics have set more demanding selection criteria than the international ones?

– A: I, out of obligation and devotion, have to defend the standard set by the federations. We have a great sport whose standards have to be chosen and the harder they are, the higher the level of the sport. There will always be athletes who are going to be left on the edge and that is what the technical commissions are for, to pick out those who can really choose. But no athlete should fear these standards. 58 athletes qualified, 26 men and 32 women, the largest classification after Barcelona.

– Q: Paris could be the farewell of a group of golden athletes…

– A: There are emblematic athletes who we thought would finish at the Games, but they didn’t say they would finish. I don’t want to think about the next days with them, I want to enjoy them. I know they’ll give their lives and I’m convinced they’ll win medals, which makes my skin crawl because I’m sure I’ll cry. They are so big that I can’t see the day they retire.

– Q: Although you prefer not to highlight some over others, there are names that will go down in history, like Rudy Fernández and Pablo Herrera, the basketball and beach volleyball players with the most Games, or the canoeist that Teresa Portela with the seventh. participation. What is its merit?

– A: They are aliens. I can’t say anything else. Rudy is pure basketball, come out for a minute or ten, people see him in the stands as a reference in the basketball world. The same Paul, about volleyball speaks about this. And Teresa Portela, I don’t know when she will quit because she looks like 20 years old, she threw K4 and came in perfect form.

-P: Immigration is the political debate, sometimes with references to figures like Lamine Yamal. In Paris there will again be a group of refugees, among them the Afghan Manizha Talash, a refugee in Spain. This is an issue in which the COE is actively involved. What can sport teach in this regard?

– A. 382 go to the Games and we are a country with 48 million inhabitants. Those who go are the chosen ones. Sport has a more important job than getting results. We forget that Spain is a country where many people immigrate. Today we are collecting people who need to come together and if in sports we give them a future, what more do we want? The world’s first sports center for refugees was built in Spain. What the IOC did by creating the team was a call from the world of sport to society. There are 100 million people who for political or religious reasons had to leave their country, they experienced all unimaginable calamities and we need to help them.

– Q. Could the current war situation in Ukraine and Gaza, among other conflicts, have any impact on Paris?

– A: I think there is no negative. There was a great debate about the exclusion of athletes from a certain country, but if we defend the values ​​and we are the meeting point, what do we do, punish the athletes for the decisions made by their politicians ? It’s impossible, we can’t discriminate against an athlete because of their country of origin. The Games are the best example of equality and understanding.

– Q: How much will Paris surprise us with its organization, starting with the inauguration?

– A: Paris will do great and we all want to do it very well. After a few Games in Tokyo where there were no spectators, we want them to be explosive in Paris.

– Q: When will Madrid’s turn come?

– A: Madrid is the most prepared city in the world in 2020. The sports movement owes it several Games for its level of sports and organization and for the support of the people. We need to talk to the City Council, Community and Government and when we are ready, talk to the IOC. Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028, Brisbane 2032… you won’t catch me as president, but it doesn’t matter, because I’ll be watching the Games in Madrid. We cannot go to another life or travel anywhere without the Games in Madrid.