Sport is a devolved power, let’s not forget. In my opinion, the COE is the only body that can do this due to its independence. Here, the only flag is that of Spain,” Blanco told El Mundo in an interview, where he also stresed that Madrid is better prepared than ever to host the Olympics.
While the former judoka hailed the organisation’s power, he believed that the “philosophy of being above everything is useless” and that the COE is there to serve the athletes and the sports community.
“You have to come down to the athletes’ level. If you don’t welcome them here, in this office, if you don’t go to training sessions, to small federation galas, to lower-division competitions… you don’t understand anything; you don’t know what sport is,” he explained.
To support athletes in building professional careers beyond competition, the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) launched a groundbreaking initiative in 2023 in collaboration with the Universidad Católica de Murcia, known as the “University of Sports.” UCAM Fénix is the first ecosystem specifically designed to guide athletes through their post-competition transitions, equipping them with the skills needed to enhance their employability and foster entrepreneurial ventures.
COE President Alejandro Blanco also highlighted the organization’s efforts to promote women’s leadership through specialized training programs. He noted a growing presence of women serving as general secretaries, managers, directors, technicians, coaches, and referees—and emphasized that they are fully prepared to take on top leadership roles.
“What’s missing now is for them to take that final step and say, ‘I want to be president,’” Blanco said in an interview with Marca. “We currently have Elisa Aguilar (basketball), who is gaining increasing international recognition. We’ve had Asunción Loriente (rowing), who did an outstanding job, and Isabel García (lifesaving), among others. Many women have already left a lasting impact, and I believe this is the path Spain must embrace without delay.”
While Blanco hopes to equalise the gender imbalance in leadership positions, he also offered his views on the controversial inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s categories. Spain has generally been inclusive, registering its first transgender football player in 2016, and now has an all-transgender football team that competes at a regional level.
“It’s a very delicate subject… what we do have to ensure is a means to ensure that people cannot or should not be allowed to compete on unequal terms with other athletes. I think we should protect equality and I think we should protect women in competitions, and I think that will be a demand that is both fair and realistic. It must be treated with great scientific rigor, because everything else is just empty talk,” he stressed.
Blanco is no stranger to delicate subjects, strongly hinting that only one individual was responsible for Spain’s 2030 Winter Olympic bid failure. “There was a strong consensus between the regions of Catalonia and Aragon, and the IOC believed in the project… but when everything was agreed upon, the decision of one person prevented it.”
Not one to settle for failure, Blanco believes that Spain is now in a better position to host the Games. “We had three great candidates. The 2020, which I presided, was the best valued by the IOC commission. Instead, we lost the vote overwhelmingly. The following year, they gave us the reason regarding the criteria that were to be followed. Madrid is, today, the most prepared city in the world to organise the Games, but you have to see what the criteria are for the future with Kirsty Coventry, the new president of the IOC. Now it’s time to wait,” he tells El Mundo.
