There was a scandal with the statements by Julián Eraso, president of OCETA, an entity that organizes Itzulia Women, who yesterday attended Radio Marca Bilbao and said that “well, the truth is that almost, almost… we have been forced to make this edition since this is a matter of fashion. In the end, equality, the correveidile, everyone says that things have to be done for women’s sport and now it has happened to cycling too“.
The Vitoria City Council -mayor- and the Álava Provincial Council -General Deputy- have drafted a joint statement and “they consider it unacceptable that the promotion of women’s sport is considered fashionable. It is something that goes against the values defended by both institutions, which we consider equality through sport as a structural axis of our policies”.
Diario AS has contacted Julia Liberal, president of the Alavesa Cycling Federation, who has commented “I am stunned by those words. Nothing else is talked about all day long, in the federations and in the feminist associations We thought that we had made a lot of progress on these issues, but this puts that feeling into question. It is not a public position like mine or that of politicians. It is a company but it would be necessary to see if it makes sense to continue betting on events with directors like that,” he said.
The organization has been quick to issue an explanatory note trying to explain its position. “The Itzulia Women was born from the need to recover a great women’s stage race in the Basque Country after the disappearance of the Emakumeen Bira and the consecrated success of the first two editions of the Clásica San Sebastián Femenina. The objective of the organization has been and it is to promote women’s cycling in the Basque Country, also responding to an express vocation of our institutional partners (City Councils, Provincial Councils and the Basque Government)”, reads the statement.
“Our support and commitment as an organization to women’s cycling is unequivocal. The organization regrets the misunderstanding and discomfort generated and hopes that the unfortunate comments expressed by Julián Eraso, president of OCETA, do not tarnish the great step forward that the arrival of Itzulia represents. Women to the ecosystem of races that make up the international women’s cycling calendar,” he adds and sentences.