Only 65 days left before the Paris Paralympic Games begin (from August 28 to September 8), and the uncertainty remains as to whether we will be able to watch them on television. Since Atlanta ’96, Spanish Television has always broadcast the competition through its channels, but has not yet reached an agreement with Enjoy Television, the company that bought the rights to the International Paralympic Committee for the broadcast of the Games in Spain.
If this situation continues, the only place where they can be seen in our country will be on the Twitch channel of journalist Siro López.
The Spanish Paralympic Committee itself publicly recognized over a month ago that the offer was “abusive and disproportionate”. They did not provide specific data, but VozPópuli published the figures: TVE paid 61,000 euros to broadcast the Tokyo 2020 competition, and now they are asking for two million. Spain would be the country that pays the most expensive television rights in all of Europe.
TVE does not want to pay that figure, aware that they are inflating the price, and it is understandable. However, it has paid 55 million for the broadcasting rights of the Olympics and has signed Broncano for two seasons, in which he will pay him 14 times more than what it costs to broadcast the Paris Paralympic event. I don’t doubt that it’s worth it, but is there money for this but not to provide a public service?
Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, has tried to mediate, as well as the Government through the CSD. Athletes are very worried, and it is urgent to find a solution, as Teresa Perales said a few days ago, because it is “a very big step back. It is humiliating and unworthy that the entire population is not given the opportunity to have access to the Paralympic Games and for that public television is necessary.” I think that a Twitch channel cannot be the only way to follow our athletes. After years of progress towards equality, we cannot let the Paralympians become invisible again.
