Esquerra (ERC) has identified nearly twenty Catalan sports federations susceptible to . This is stated in an internal draft to which EL PAÍS has had access, in which the party draws a map of disciplines with “windows of opportunity” to move towards international recognition. The document is part of the political work of the Republicans to specify the scope of the future that the PSC and ERC are finalizing, as this newspaper advanced, and that must accompany those interested federations.
In total, the text indicates 19 federations that could explore their international projection: football, tennis, athletics, hiking, fencing, wrestling, ball, chess, baseball and softball, skating, fishing, winter sports, table tennis, motorsports, bowling and bowling, volleyball, polo and orienteering races. : a strong social roots and that the Catalan federation in question was established before the Spanish one. The final decision, in any case, depends on the corresponding international federation. The regulations also emphasize that, before taking the step, a prior agreement must be reached with the Higher Sports Council.
From the draft, there are two disciplines marked in red: skating and bowling. The first, before the International Federation revoked its incorporation as a full federation after complaints from the Spanish one. The second has also achieved success in international tournaments.
The will to compete internationally depends on a federation itself. This must share your interest and negotiate with the CSD the possibility of taking the step. The Government has already informed the state body that the Office will soon be launched and that dialogues can be opened. The case of Basque pelota is presented as a precedent in favor of regional sport. Spain and Euskadi came to compete in June 2025 in the Cesta Punta Nations League. “Basque pelota is not a Spanish sport in the sense that it is practiced throughout Spain,” stated then the president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes. “It has to be channeled through federations that have adopted this practice,” he added.
The Office for the promotion of Catalan national teams, in the last phase of its creation, is part of the PSC and ERC investiture agreement. “The international projection of the Catalan sports federations and the recognition of the Catalan sports teams will be promoted, in accordance with the will and joint work with the federations,” the text concludes. Now republicans and socialists are studying the way in which it should be made known. , the Office fits as part of the “advances in sovereignty” that ERC demands, but both formations admit that it is not a bargaining chip to fill the void left by the transfer of personal income tax management in Catalonia, which is currently blocked. Its development, in any case, represents a meeting point.
In December 2025, the Parliament of Catalonia already approved a motion in which it urged the Government to demand from the Spanish Government the official recognition of the Catalan sports teams and to promote “the necessary regulatory modifications to make their participation in international competitions possible.” This Thursday, the issue came up again in the Catalan Chamber during a motion promoted by the PP on sports policies. “What problem do you have in us officially competing in any competition representing Catalonia?” Marta Rovira (ERC) asked the popular deputies. “Do you know that many Catalan federations were created before the Spanish one?” he insisted. For Junts, the future of the Catalan team must continue to advance. ”If the counselor [Álvarez] believe it, we are closer to achieving it; and a window of opportunity has opened with the Basque pelota case,” defended deputy Anna Erra (Junts).
