Alejandro Blanco is slated to steer the joint Catalonia-Aragon Olympic bid, a project that began with rough edges and has carried a heavy, almost fatal, tone from the start of the formal agreement. In just over two months, the Olympic flame is set to cast a shadow over a bid that has faced clear resistance from the outset.
a harmonious marriage
Catalonia entered the Winter Games landscape in 2010. Since 2018, Generalitat studies indicated that Catalonia could host most events, excluding skeleton, bobsleigh, or jumping disciplines, alongside cross-country skiing and speed skating. The idea of a joint effort with Aragon was floated, and in 2019 the COE suggested adding Aragon to fill gaps in the plan and avoid waste. This marked the start of a cooperative, yet fragile union that eventually broke under public dispute.
First whistle fight
The political heat rose quickly. Pere Aragones gave the inaugural push toward the Olympic race on July 15, 2021. Within hours, the initial tension emerged after a letter requested by the president to the COE to organize the Games. Aragon’s president, Javier Lambán, declared that his government would not uphold the joint candidacy and criticized what he called a damaged trust in the Generalitat following perceived disloyalty. The dynamic has persisted ever since, shaping the landscape for months.
COE cancels Catalonia and Aragon’s 2030 Winter Games nominations
Exhibition Lopez-Egea
a harmonious marriage
Catalonia in 2010 opened its door to the Winter Games for the first time. Generalitat studies since 2018 highlighted that Catalonia could host most events, with exceptions for skeleton, bobsleigh, or jumping, along with cross-country skiing and speed skating. The proposal even suggested Sarajevo as a venue. In 2019 the COE urged Generalitat to consider Aragon as a partner to fill gaps and reduce waste. This episode marks the start of a cooperative path that eventually met a public split.
First whistle fight
There has been ongoing political tension. Pere Aragones gave the starting gun of the Olympic effort on July 15, 2021. When the first spark occurred, it happened not long after the president’s letter to the COE requesting Games organization. Aragon’s president, Javier Lambán, stated that his government would not fulfill the joint candidacy and criticized the Generalitat’s trust as broken following a colleague’s perceived disloyalty. The pattern has endured for eleven months.
COE cancels Catalonia and Aragon’s 2030 Winter Games nominations
Exhibition Lopez-Egea
a harmonious marriage
Lambán’s concerns did not derail the joint effort. Technicians from Catalonia and Aragon continued to collaborate with the COE and the CSD on a technical framework for the nomination. The most sensitive issues—such as the project name and the locations for the opening and closing ceremonies—were set aside for later. The COE and both governments presented, discussed, and accepted the proposal as the clock ticked toward April 1, with Lambán leaving the room and the agreement near completion. Lambán called the meeting a challenge and insisted that the arrangement could not be accepted if it compromised Aragon’s dignity, given the allocation of tests. That moment marked a turning point for the bid, with momentum waning afterward.
Lambán broke the deal
Despite Lambán’s objections, Catalonia and Aragon technicians kept working with the COE and CSD on a technical plan. The thorniest questions—like the project name and venue choices—were postponed. The proposal was presented, debated, and accepted in the presence of an empty chair on April 1, as Aragon exited. Lambán described the session as a challenge and asserted that his government could not approve a deployment seen as a test-heavy arrangement. There, the flame’s glow began to dim.
Blanco’s ordeals
In the weeks that followed, Blanco sought to bridge political gaps and persuade Lambán to rejoin the bid. He began with a counter-offer that did not win over the Aragon president, then escalated with two ultimatums: first, May 20 as the deadline for an accord, which Aragon did not concede; and second, a promise that if no joint nomination materialized, the COE would vote between the Catalan and Aragon proposals in an extraordinary session. Aragon responded, but not as expected; the Aragon government publicly labeled him a political commissar under Catalan instruction. Two weeks after the final failed meeting, Blanco faced the likelihood of ending the project this week.
La Moncloa, in profile
The Spanish government placed renewed emphasis on reuniting the Games with Aragon but chose to hand the candidacy to the COE, avoiding direct clashes in the dispute despite Lambán’s repeated calls. The leadership opted for a cautious stance, preventing a direct confrontation with the Catalan alignment. In the middle of the Andalusian campaign, the administration avoided a direct stand against a stand-alone Catalan bid. The political calculus suggested shared responsibility for the Olympic setback, with a line drawn around the role of the Generalitat and its ministers.
Alejandro Blanco is slated to steer the joint Catalonia-Aragon Olympic bid, a project that began with rough edges and has carried a heavy, almost fatal, tone from the start of the formal agreement. In just over two months, the Olympic flame is set to cast a shadow over a bid that has faced clear resistance from the outset.