“This cannot be repeated,” said the Basque agents in the title of the statement sent to the media. In late July the audiovisual platform of the Association of Traineras Clubs (Act) forced a rower from Donostiarra Arraun to speak in Spanish, after the athlete assured that he wanted to make the declarations only in Euskera. Faced with this event, five agents from five coastal localities have issued a joint declaration reaffirming three points: The Basque Association Axola de Abanto, the Bagera de Donostia association, the Basque Association Blagan de Hondarribia, the Karkara de Orio cultural association and the Basque Association Zuhatza de Deba.

First, the agents have shown their “solidarity” with the rower. In the face of these kinds of events that are repeated “every day”, “it is important that above the pressures there are people who firmly maintain our rights as Euskaldunes, and that these kinds of events do not remain in the private sphere, because the use of Euskera is something that belongs to us all,” the signatories said.

Secondly, they ask the Act to modify its communication policy “so that the reers who want to speak in Basque do not feel pressured”. The agents consider that it is “absolutely legitimate” that it should only be done in Basque and, therefore, if you want to use the different languages, “the Act should guess how to sit on the same road with multilingual communication and respect for the Basque people”.

Finally, they have encouraged the rest of the groupers to act in Basque before the media. On the one hand, athletes are “referents” in society. On the other hand, because rowing is “more than sport”. “To some extent, our traineras represent the peoples in which we live. Let us show that we are an Euskaldun people.”