They will not stop us!
Pere Sust i Sagau
02/02/2006
Regarding the claim of the Spanish Olympic Committee against the Catalan Olympic Committee They will not stop us!
Pere Sust i Sagau
02/02/2006
Regarding the claim of the Spanish Olympic Committee against the Catalan Olympic CommitteeThe situation of the claim filed before the Court of First Instance by the “Spanish Olympic Committee” against the Catalan Olympic Committee is now in the High-Court appeal procedure, after the sentence passed later on by the Court, especially as regards the name of our COC and the pronouncement of having committed disloyal competence for using the words Olympic Committee in the promotion of the “First International Conference of Sporting Countries” held in Barcelona in 2003. We should point out that we are waiting for the result of this appeal, which, according to the legislation in force, is the last one that we can file to defend ourselves. No doubt, since the constitution of our Catalan Olympic Committee we have always enjoyed a policy of understanding and non-aggression, such as the one that unfortunately has been turned upside down, taking into consideration that we always worked according to what the Catalan people have for the most part asked for and desired, our federations, clubs and our sports players, nonetheless respecting the principle of the Olympic Charter in favour of sport and peace. It is additional proof that times have changed and that any person may see that the lack of respect for the pacific will democratically demonstrated by Catalonia is a permanent element present in those individuals that legitimately consider themselves Spanish, but who do not doubt to express, by all the means available to them, a real behaviour of confrontation and discrimination towards Catalans, even if this were to harm a sport that they should serve better, as poor results at an international level prove if we compare them with the public money spent assigned to it and the reality of other countries with a similar population and level of life. We have to point out that in the claim they also demanded an indemnity of 25 million of the old pesetas for using the Olympic rings and the “Olympic Committee” brand. In the first case, because they understood that the word COC presented some similarities with the five rings and that the Catalan Olympic Committee brand could be mixed up with that of the Spanish Olympic Committee. Both Courts have rejected these two demands. Certainly, imagination to harm us is unlimited, even having proof of the scarce Olympic spirit and respect that they should comply with if they really were sports people, for they do not give priority to the service of sports players that have members and to their improvement in level and quality; all the same, because it is clear that they favour attitudes that are more appropriate of candidates to politics by way of confrontation, as many Catalan leaders experience within the Spanish federations of their specific sport. Finally, through these lines we express the clear will to continue fighting for our recognition together with the Generalitat of Catalonia (Catalan Autonomous Government), the Parliament and the Government, the Union of Catalan Sports Federations and the Pro Catalan Sports Teams Platform, each one within the framework of its respective powers, but all of them fighting for one unique aim. Full international recognition of Catalan sport will be attained by means of perseverance, stubbornness and never giving up, for we all know the difficulties and the path that we have to go through, even if we have to take some step backwards in order to be able to take on greater momentum. Pere Sust i Sagau, President of the Catalan Olympic Committee
17.05.06