Fresno Case
Encyclopedia
The Case Fresno is the name assigned by the Catalonia
media and public opinion to the Federation of International Roller Sports (FIRS
) assembly held at Fresno
(California
), on 26 November 2004. It meant that for the first time in history, an international sport team that had been accepted provisionally was later not accepted definitely. At the same time, it was the first time that a regional sport team (Catalonia
) had been registered with the opposition of the state the region belonged to (Spain
). The Spanish sport organizations actively lobbied against the Catalonia
membership among the members of the assembly. At the Fresno assembly, the membership application was rejected (8-114). However, the Federació Catalana de Patinatge brought the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(TAS) at Lausanne
, which admitted irregularities in the assembly (notably the lack of secrecy in the vote), invalidated the vote and forced the FIRS to repeat the vote following the FIRS statute rules http://www.tas-cas.org/fr/pdf/catalans.PDF. An extraordinary FIRS assembly was held in Rome on November 24 2005 rejected again the membership application of the Catalan federation (125-43).
After being granted a temporary membership, Catalonia played the World Championship B, at Macau
, (China
), on October 2004, winning it http://www.eurosport.es/home/pages/v4/l6/s155/sport_lng6_spo155_sto650587.shtml. As a result, Catalonia qualified to play the full World Championship, where it would played in the same group as Spain.
media have denounced the pressions by the Spanish government and sport organizations on the members of the assembly http://catalanhockey.blogspot.com/2004/11/plot-reveals.html.
Representatives from Chile
http://usuarios.lycos.es/fresno05/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=19 or Italy
(Sabatino Aracu, member of Forza Italia
) http://www.forzaitalia.org/gruppo/deputati/leggiComunicati.asp?codiceDeputato=17&news_id=2341 would allegedly suffered from such pressions or receive instructions from their national governments.
The Czech Republic
representative Radek Pavelec admitted that his federation had received pressures from the Spanish government http://catalanhockey.blogspot.com/2004/11/plot-reveals.html.
In addition, a letter of the Consejo Superior de Deported (CSD, the Spanish Council for Sports) to the Colombia
n federation in which the Spaniards were asking for the vote against Catalonia has been made public. In that letter the CSD stated that the recognition of Catalonia
would alter the Spanish sport national unity and would create a wrong precedent.
The same letter was sent to some other South American federations http://usuarios.lycos.es/fresno05/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=65.
The German
representative admitted that she was contacted by the German MP for Sport demanding the vote against Catalonia. Literally he asked her to make sure she was coming back from Fresno with a "no" against Catalonia.
In this case the method of voting was secret and the president of the Catalan Ramon Basiana was able to defend the nomination.
The extraordinary meeting in Rome of the FIRS rejected by 125 votes to 43 for admission as a full member of the Catalan Federation of Skating
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
media and public opinion to the Federation of International Roller Sports (FIRS
FIRS
The FIRS Index is a share index of the 13 privatisation-investment funds listed on the Banja Luka Stock Exchange , established on 29 July 2004...
) assembly held at Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
(California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), on 26 November 2004. It meant that for the first time in history, an international sport team that had been accepted provisionally was later not accepted definitely. At the same time, it was the first time that a regional sport team (Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
) had been registered with the opposition of the state the region belonged to (Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). The Spanish sport organizations actively lobbied against the Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
membership among the members of the assembly. At the Fresno assembly, the membership application was rejected (8-114). However, the Federació Catalana de Patinatge brought the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
(TAS) at Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, which admitted irregularities in the assembly (notably the lack of secrecy in the vote), invalidated the vote and forced the FIRS to repeat the vote following the FIRS statute rules http://www.tas-cas.org/fr/pdf/catalans.PDF. An extraordinary FIRS assembly was held in Rome on November 24 2005 rejected again the membership application of the Catalan federation (125-43).
After being granted a temporary membership, Catalonia played the World Championship B, at Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, (China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
), on October 2004, winning it http://www.eurosport.es/home/pages/v4/l6/s155/sport_lng6_spo155_sto650587.shtml. As a result, Catalonia qualified to play the full World Championship, where it would played in the same group as Spain.
Spain's opposition
Some CatalanCatalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
media have denounced the pressions by the Spanish government and sport organizations on the members of the assembly http://catalanhockey.blogspot.com/2004/11/plot-reveals.html.
Representatives from Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
http://usuarios.lycos.es/fresno05/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=19 or Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(Sabatino Aracu, member of Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
) http://www.forzaitalia.org/gruppo/deputati/leggiComunicati.asp?codiceDeputato=17&news_id=2341 would allegedly suffered from such pressions or receive instructions from their national governments.
The Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
representative Radek Pavelec admitted that his federation had received pressures from the Spanish government http://catalanhockey.blogspot.com/2004/11/plot-reveals.html.
In addition, a letter of the Consejo Superior de Deported (CSD, the Spanish Council for Sports) to the Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n federation in which the Spaniards were asking for the vote against Catalonia has been made public. In that letter the CSD stated that the recognition of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
would alter the Spanish sport national unity and would create a wrong precedent.
The same letter was sent to some other South American federations http://usuarios.lycos.es/fresno05/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=65.
The German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
representative admitted that she was contacted by the German MP for Sport demanding the vote against Catalonia. Literally he asked her to make sure she was coming back from Fresno with a "no" against Catalonia.
Repetition of the vote in Rome
On 29 November 2005, the FIRS assembly, meeting in Rome, he repeated the final vote on the admission of the Catalan Federation of Skating.In this case the method of voting was secret and the president of the Catalan Ramon Basiana was able to defend the nomination.
The extraordinary meeting in Rome of the FIRS rejected by 125 votes to 43 for admission as a full member of the Catalan Federation of Skating