The Basque Country works with the organization of the Tour de France to host the exit of the cycling event in 2023. The lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, has confirmed that there are open negotiations for that 'Grand Départ', which usually includes about three stages.

The news was revealed by the president of the Commonwealth of the French Basque Country, Jean-René Etchegaray , during a joint press conference with Urkullu in Vitoria. During the appearance, the French leader addressed the lehendakari telling him that "thanks to you, we can imagine that the Tour can leave the southern Basque Country in 2023". "It's practically closed," added Etchegaray.

In question time, Urkullu, as usual in him, has shown a more restrained tone than the French leader: "We are in the initial stages with the organization, moving forward in the talks and wanting to involve the rest of the institutions for that great exit. It remains to define its location and the route of the stages. "

Bilbao seems the most likely starting point, since the capital of Biscay has been working for years to be part of the Tour's route, either with a rest stage, or with a Grand Départ like the one now being proposed. It would be the second time that the Tour departs from Basque territory, after it was done from San Sebastián in the 1992 edition , with an initial prologue and a first stage in line with an end in Pau.

The Basque Country has opted in recent years to host major top-level sporting events, mainly in Bilbao. Last year, San Mamés was the scene of the two great European rugby finals and will be the Spanish headquarters of the 2020 Euro Cup . This same year, Vitoria hosted the Final Four of basketball, in 2014 the BEC of Barakaldo hosted the matches of the US national team in the World Cup sport and a year before hosted a match between Bilbao Basket and the Philadelphia NBA Sixers .

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