The sentence is by Francesc Cayuela (GEiEG), but it could easily be supported by the other two presidents of Girona clubs considered to be of public utility, such as CN Banyoles and CN Olot. “They are killing all grassroots and amateur sport, which is the backbone of towns, neighborhoods and cities.” The claim is unanimous, as in other areas of the world of sport, with the activity closed since last Friday, except for professional teams or those competing in state categories. They want, as Albert Comas from CN Banyoles claims, to be considered an “essential service” because “we are not the problem, we are part of the solution”. Gemma Soy, the president of the CN Olot, reaffirms this: “The authorities must assess what works best for them, keep us open or closed, because our role is very important and we have already shown that we are a safe sector.”
The situation is, they say, unsustainable, and if it lasts long, “there will be clubs that will have to close.” Between the GEiEG, the CN Banyoles and the CN Olot there are almost 30,000 members, all three being multi-sport and social clubs. They have been forced to stop for three months due to the confinement of spring, and now that during the summer, and thanks to the strong investment they made in the facilities to make them safe, they were starting to recover, they have returned to close the activity. The UFEC and also the General Secretariat of Sport are under pressure to be able to reopen it, but at the moment there is no answer. “The problem is that it seems to me that no one in the administration has bothered to check whether or not security measures are being met at sports clubs. It would have been good to create the figure of an inspector who would certify it, and who would give a seal of quality to all those who do it well “, says Soy. Despite the disappointment, the hope of being able to reopen from November 13 is not lost, when the deadline for the current measures ends and the Government will have to decide whether to extend, expand or allow them to be softened.
Messy sport
With clubs and sports facilities closed, last weekend saw some images that made the leaders of Girona put their hands on their heads. “People continued to do sports, but in a messy and crowded way,” laments Francesc Cayuela, who believes that until then “everything had been done in our facilities with maximum safety, and more.” It is a common denominator. GEiEG, CN Banyoles and CN Olot made strong investments to acquire everything needed to combat infections. And gauging has been regulated even more than specified in the standard, by appointment, and if necessary, without using the changing rooms. “If the clubs are open, people are distributed, in the pool, in the gym, etc., and on the other hand, when the sections go to train, the temperature is taken and a thorough control is done on everything,” Albert Comas points out.
In Banyoles the facilities are stopped but some activity is maintained in the lake. Next to the CN is the Rowing Technology Center, which houses high-performance athletes who continue to work, such as Manel Balastegui, who has qualified for the Tokyo Games. Comas says they continue to give them “all the facilities in the world” so that the pandemic does not have consequences on their demanding training plans. On the other hand, the health crisis has also forced them to cancel many of the sports activities they organize, such as the Crossing the Lake or the Half Marathon. The GEiEG, for its part, was also unable to carry out the classic Ascent to the Angels.
With the forced closure, all three clubs have had to send their workers back to the ERTO. Cayuela recalls that “we are non-profit organizations and considered of public interest”, and provides a figure by which the rate of contagion in clubs is 0.20%, which reaffirms that sport it is safe ». “They are killing grassroots and amateur sport with these measures, which is the backbone of towns, cities and neighborhoods,” repeats the president of the GEiEG, which last week participated in an event of the UFEC where they demanded the Catalan government “direct” aid to prevent the collapse of the sector. While they wait for this injection of financial resources, hope is set on the 13th, when they expect to be allowed to reopen.
.
