New episode takes place about the Basque teams and international federations. As previously happened with other sports such as soccer or Basque pelota, which, thanks to the new Sports Law, could play international competitions.they continue dating sports that seek to take a step to integrate into international federations. This can cause controversy, since, supposedly, only those sports with “great historical and social roots” would be the ones that could request this integration. Well, after the two sports mentioned above, added to surfingseven Basque sports federations -swimming, canoeing, squash, fencing, table tennis, chess and motor racing- “have formally requested their official integration into their respective international federations”.
These requests fall within the ‘Basque Sport’ initiative promoted by the Union of Basque Sports Federations (UFDV) and presented this Thursday in Bilbao in an act in which the director of Physical Activity and Sport of the Basque Government, Gorka Iturriaga, as well as Ángel Gurrutxaga and Leire Gerenabarrenapresident and manager, respectively, of the UFDV.
These seven associations are added to those of mountain, surfing, weightlifting, boxing, rural sports, Basque pelota and soccer“they already did it before”, and disciplines such as kayak surfing in which the Basque team competes officially and is also world champion.
Iturriaga has announced that these new requests “They are only the beginning of a long road that only responds to the demand of a very important part of Basque society for the desire to have representation in the international concert with the practice of sports.”.
The person responsible for Physical Activity and Sport of the Basque executive It has also stressed that the requests “They are not against anyone, but in favor of our sport and our athletes”. “The internationalization process of our sport was already underway and the The Basque Government will accompany our federations on this path”, he added.
For his part, Gurrutxaga has stressed that the objective of the UFDV with this initiative is to “comply” with the Basque Sports Law which collects the “obligation” of the Union of Basque Sports Federations of “support and promote the birth and development of Basque sports teams” and their participation in national and international competitions.
Lastly, Gerenabarrena stressed that the ‘Basque Sport’ initiative “it is good for Basque sport” and also for athletes because “for the vast majority” would suppose “the possibility of living international sports experiences that, due to the great competition existing in its modalities, would not be likely”.