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SPAIN’s far-right Vox has launched a campaign to stop Gibraltar from becoming a member of certain international sports associations.
The new nonbinding parliamentary resolution (PNL) submitted by the party calls on Spain to oppose Gibraltar’s inclusion in international rugby federations and padel federations.
The proposal calls Gibraltar’s sporting bodies ‘pseudofederations’ and criticises the inclusion of territories listed by the United Nations (UN) as non-self-governing in international competitions.
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Vox believes that sport ‘has a deeply rooted national dimension and serves as a tool for national cohesion,’ according to Europa Press, and claims that international federations should not represent what it describes as ‘colonial territories or enclaves with controversial political status’.
The party suggests that Gibraltar be excluded from international sports bodies.
Vox claims, in addition, that participation in such international competitions will lead to recognition, which can affect relationships between governments and international organizations, federations or federations.
Allowing ‘pseudofederations’ to compete poses a ‘risk’ to the internal stability of sports bodies and relations among their members, Vox claims.
Gibraltar’s admission into international rugby and padel federation, according to Vox, also lacked ‘due transparency’ and ‘the statutorily required support’.
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These claims have been echoed by the Real Federacion Española de Rugby which has expressed dismay at Gibraltar’s inclusion without having achieved the necessary two-thirds majority – the group have announced that they will be taking legal action.
Vox calls on the government intervene citing strict rules set by the International Olympic Committee, which limit memberships to sovereign states in order to avoid conflicts.
The party has called on the central government to block Gibraltar’s participation in the aforementioned international sports federations and to support legal action presented by the Real Federacion Española de Rugby.
Vox also requested that the government file a formal complaint at the International Padel Federation, and to urge all international sporting bodies to restrict membership to only sovereign states.
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