The abrupt march of the Sailing America Cup It continues to bring a queue in Barcelona. More and more voices are calling for the city council that highlights the impact of the competition and, as far as possible, try to keep the regatta in the Catalan capital.
In a video broadcast on social networks, the president of the Union of Sports Federations of Catalonia (UFEC), Gerard Estevahas positively valued the “success” of the contest. In his words, the event has been aligned with “values” of Catalan sport such as “the promotion of women’s sports and the practice of sailing among the youngest.” There have also been carried out projects inclusive to bring sailing closer to disabled people and people with fewer economic resources.
Esteva has highlighted how the event has promoted a “urban transformation” in the Port of Barcelona that if the regatta had not been held it would surely have arrived much later. This is what he recognized Grant Daltonwinner of the competition and captain of the New Zealand team, in an interview with elEconomista.es.
The president of the UFEC has listed other milestones such as the “table for electrification of pleasure boats“and the celebration of the UNESCO world oceanographic congress“positioning Barcelona as a capital committed to the environment and climate change.”
On the other hand, he explained that “one of the clear examples of what the Copa América has meant has been lto the 350 sailboat regattawhich helped project our unique way of sailing to the world.
Social impact
Regarding the canon borne by the institutions, Esteva has acknowledged that 45 million euros have been invested. But he has pointed out that “any international event has a canon, that’s how the world works”, and has compared the nautical race with the F1 in Madrid, for which the regional government will pay 60 million for a one-weekend championship.
“We ask the administrations to reflect calmly and once again bid for a Copa América in Barcelona with these values. 25% of all profits have been allocated to legacy projects. This must be valued. A second Copa América would allow us to consolidate all these good projects for Barcelona and Catalonia,” he summarized.
The wake-up call from the UFEC, essentially directed at the Barcelona City Council, comes preceded by other similar pronouncements such as that of Barcelona Global and Promotion of Treball. These and other organizations of the Barcelona civil fabric will present their points of view next Tuesday at a meeting of the Barcelona Nautical Capital Foundation (FBCN).
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