The Pyrenees Winter Olympics bid dies without a name

I learned from Juan Cueto, one of the wisest men I have ever met in my life, that the most important premise is the one that is not mentioned. I have been reminded of this now that the dream of a Winter Olympic Games in the Pyrenees is over. When Alejandro Blanco first spoke to me about it, I asked him what it would be called. “We’ll leave that for the end,” I think he replied. The end has come and the candidacy has not been given a name. In the emails sent for meetings, it was referred to as ‘Winter Games 2030′. In Catalonia they used their own name: ‘Barcelona-Pirineus’, which upset the Aragonese half.

Asturian tension

When the Seville Olympic Stadium was created for an Athletics World Cup, the idea was put forward to bring together Sevilla and Betis, who would make money by selling their land, like in Milan, some claimed. Sevillistas and Betis agreed this time. Another time I learned about the initiative of some Asturians who suggested merging Oviedo and Sporting into an ‘Asturias’ that would play in Avilés, Asturias, and would have the combined potential of both. Thank goodness I didn’t write in favour of the idea. Even so, the reactions were furious.

Good intentions

The intention of this candidacy was good, as was that of the other two, but we live in times of an absolute lack of goodwill in politics. And if it was so difficult to put a name to the idea, it was very easy for what happened to happen. There is no need to dwell, nor would it be healthy, on the misgivings between a Catalonia governed by separatists and an Aragon that remembers itself as the leader of medieval Spain. Months have gone by discussing how many and which tests here and which tests there, but the most important premise was not mentioned until the end, when there was nothing that can be done. What was this candidacy meant to be called?