Madrid denounces grievances in Pedro Sánchez's investments in sports: 58% goes to the Technology Centers of Catalonia

RICARDO PINO Madrid

Madrid

Updated Thursday, February 15, 2024-00:04

The Community of Madrid wants to turn sport into one of its flags, both at an educational level, due to the values ​​and physical well-being to be instilled in the population, and as a tourist level, due to the attractiveness of major events. There are the latest achievements, from the

Formula 1 Grand Prix to the NFL match at the Santiago Bernabéu

or the desire to aspire to the final of the 2030 World Cup. Without forgetting the eternal Olympic dream.

However, the Government of

Isabel Díaz Ayuso

finds reasons to look with discomfort at the distribution of investments in this area by the Executive of

Pedro Sánchez

. Analyzing the latest general budgets of the state, the Community of Madrid denounces a comparative grievance and imbalances in the distribution of aid from the Higher Sports Council (CSD), especially in relation to Catalonia. Madrid expresses its concern about the inequalities detected in the distribution of aid, highlighting disproportionate treatment in the distribution between regions, especially in comparison with Catalonia.

It is striking that in relation to aid to Technology Centers, 58% of the total allocation, equivalent to 5.2 million euros, denounces the Community that has gone to Catalonia, thus receiving more than three million euros in 2023 , while the remaining balance (2.2) was distributed among the rest of the regions of Spain.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports highlights the absence of special aid for the Community Specialization and Technical Centers, where athletes who participate in national teams or those whose objective is to be part of them train, notably highlighting the disparity with the

High Performance Center of San Cugat del Vallés

, in Barcelona, ​​which receives annual appropriations for both operating expenses and investments, directly through the General State Budgets (those for 2023), something that does not happen with the centers in Madrid.

Furthermore, the investment in sports facilities for local entities in the General Budgets shows an unbalanced distribution, where only six Catalan municipalities received more than 50% of this item, with a total of

2,640 million euros out of a total of 5,195 million

. «In the General State Budgets for 2023, 100% of direct aid to local entities for investments in sports facilities was assigned to Catalan municipalities, intensifying the concern of the Community of Madrid due to the lack of equity in the distribution of resources and due to the zero investment for the Madrid municipalities," sources from the Ministry of the sector tell this newspaper.

Thus, the San Cugat High Performance Sports Center was subsidized with 500,000 euros; Gironella City Council was awarded 200,000 euros for the construction of a new services building at the municipal swimming pool; Vilaller received 600,000 euros for a municipal sports center; Riba-roja d'Ebre was awarded 300,000 euros for restoration and improvement works on the sports hall; Vila-seca obtained one million euros for the remodeling of the sports area of ​​the municipal stadium; and Gandesa, an aid of 400,000 euros for improvements to sports facilities and the creation of new locker rooms for mixed football teams.

The Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports,

Mariano de Paco Serrano

, denounces the grievances: «Madrid has allocated almost eight million euros for Madrid Sports Federations, Clubs and Associations while 100% of the direct aid to local entities for investments and State sports facilities were assigned to Catalan municipalities, that is, Catalonia 100% and the rest of Spain 0%.

From the CSD, they responded yesterday to this newspaper: "The policy of the Higher Sports Council is to attend to all sports and the entire territory, without any type of territorial or ideological prejudice. Proof of this is the agenda of the president of the Higher Sports Council In recent weeks he has been in Andalusia, the Valencian Community or Castilla-La Mancha, to name some of the places he has visited. On the other hand, there are three High Performance Centers that are owned by the Higher Sports Council, in Madrid, León and Sierra Nevada. And, specifically, the CAR of Madrid, has the institutional reinforcement of the Higher Sports Council because its headquarters are located here."