The Council of Ministers approved yesterday to support the candidacy presented by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation to hold the 2031 Ryder Cup in Spain and the commitments that the Central Government will assume in the event that the Costa Brava-Barcelona proposal, at the PGA Catalunya de Caldes de Malavella, be the chosen one.
“The commitment of the Government of Spain is a series of guarantees to the organization, endorsed by twelve ministries, which ranges from visas and authorizations to the most efficient infrastructures”, pointed out Minister Isabel Rodríguez. The spokeswoman for the Executive of Pedro Sánchez recalled that every year 1.2 million tourists travel to Spain to practice golf, and highlighted the economic impact of holding this event, as happened last coup that took place in the country, in 1997, at Camp de Gibraltar. The promoters of the Catalan candidacy estimate 1,300 million euros.
As Moncloa explained in a statement, the commitment includes declaring the Ryder Cup an event of “exceptional public interest” and “facilitating all the necessary means to guarantee its development, as well as promoting the practice of golf during the seven previous years and the following five”. In this sense, the Council of Ministers has authorized the president of the Superior Council of Sports to “sign the necessary agreements on behalf of the Government to fulfill the commitments derived from the designation of Spain as the venue of the Ryder Cup”.
These commitments will include funding “within the existing budget, without increasing public spending”, says the note. The promoters of Costa Brava-Barcelona 2031 explained a couple of weeks ago that the event will need around 150 million, of which the Spanish Government has committed to contribute 40 million, that private investment would amount to 30 million and between municipalities, The Provincial Council of Girona and the Catalan Government should cover another 60 million. The main doubt is whether the latter will support the initiative. About twenty economic, social and sporting entities have signed a manifesto in favor of doing so and giving the green light to the expansion of the Caldes de Malavella facilities, which the Executive of Pere Aragonès does not see favorably.
