Iceta sees an Olympic candidacy only from Catalonia “impossible”

As the Catalan politician recalls, the International Olympic Committee received “a letter signed by four people” last summer: COE president Alejandro Blanco; Pedro Sánchez, President of the Spanish Government; Javier Lambán, president of Aragon; and Pere Aragonès, president of the Generalitat.

With this document, Iceta, “They don’t realize that someone broke the hook, and I don’t want to put myself on that stage.” Expressing his hope for the challenges and the “good news” from the joint candidacy, the minister said, “Catalonia and Aragon are fully committed; that is our goal and I am not getting off that horse.” Differences voiced by the Aragonese and Catalan governments.

Likewise, Iceta insisted that the 2030 Winter Games were “an opportunity for Aragon and the Catalan Pyrenees”. “I know the Catalan and Aragonese Pyrenees and “They’ve been waiting for an opportunity for a long time,” he said. manifested.

In that sense, he said, “There is no stronger occasion than the celebration of the Winter Games and I hope we all work to win.”

The Minister of Sports recalled that the “strength” of the joint candidacy between Aragon and Catalonia was that Spain had never held the Winter Games.

“We’re going to play hard. The first move is to reach a consensus that removes any rough edges and sensitivities. and a candidacy as desired by the President of Aragon, balanced“Iceta is stressed.

Budget constraints and venues

But despite the minister’s initial optimism, his words also show a dose of realism, especially regarding the number of venues that can be reached in the Olympic project. “Although we want to multiply the venues, we have a budget constraint,” he said.

The Minister of Culture, who was not interested in the Olympic Games in the past weeks, answered the questions of the press during his visit to Mora de Rubielos. Referring to the difficulty of reaching an agreement when the positions of Aragon and Catalonia are so far away, Iceta emphasized that the important thing is to reach an agreement and “not lose the opportunity”.

“We will be doing tests in many valleys, I dare not say in all.” “Not everyone is going to be perfectly happy, but deals are like that. Sometimes positions that seem so hard to move are that in the end, if there’s a will, an agreement is reached,” he said.

Likewise, Iceta expressed his confidence in Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, and his efforts to reach this agreement that would allow for the creation of a joint candidacy. Although there was no firm deadline, Iceta remembered“before summer” should be ready.