They almost won a surprising bronze medal at the European championships korfball. The national team of Catalonia lost 18-13 to Germany (after leading in the first of four quarters) and became fourth at their own organised tournament in the city of Calonge. The Spanish autonomous region plays, as has been custom in korfball for years, as the national team.
Like a true captain, wearing number 14 (like the former Dutch football legend from FC Barcelona, Johan Cruijff), korfball player Javier Navarro Sanchez (37) is already leading his troops in the national anthem for the first European Championship match against England. Singing along to the Catalan anthem Els Segadors, he and his teammates in their yellow (away colour: black) shirts represent their people, not the country they are part of. “Many Catalan athletes in other sports do not have the opportunity to play for Catalonia, they have to play for Spain. But we can. That is a great responsibility, but I am happy that we can promote our language and our culture in korfball.”
The fact that Catalonia and not Spain is represented as a korfball nation at the International Korfball Federation (IKF) is partly due to good research into a way to express Catalan pride in sports. At the end of the nineties, a group of Catalans discovered that in this typically Dutch sport there was the possibility of setting up their own association that could be recognized according to the rules of the IKF. “And we seized that opportunity,” says Francesc Serra, tournament director of this European Championship. “That way, the Catalan government had more reason to support us. The Spanish government didn’t want to know anything about us, we were and – still are I guess – a pain in the ass.”
Since that period of time, the Catalans have come to regard korfball as ‘their’ sport. The association is part of the Sports Federation Union of Catalonia, which includes not only large associations but also lesser-known sports such as pilota (a Catalan variant of the French Jeu de Paume or the Dutch Kaatsen) and pitch and putt (golf). There are fifteen korfball clubs in the region.
“Most children know what korfball is, because of physical education at school”, says Serra. “But we usually don’t get the parents to develop it further, there is little financial support and we don’t have any locations. The playing halls are for basketball or handball.” The growth of korfball is lacking in the four Catalan provinces, although there are cautious attempts to get urban korfball, a fast variant with one pole in the middle of the ground, into the scene.
The team played the semi-final against the Netherlands, the reigning and seemingly unbeatable pro’s of the sport. The Dutch won their ninth consecutive European title. But Catalonia’s surprising performance could provide a new impetus and even attract the attention of the Spanish sports authorities. What would happen if Spain suddenly became interested in the sport they do not know?
“That has happened before,” says Serra. “I helped the basketball federation years ago to see if we could set up a Spanish federation. But they didn’t really like the idea. The law for setting up a federation is also different. In Catalonia, you can get started if you can set up at least ten clubs in a period of three to five years, in Spain you need seventy clubs, which have to play in at least ten different provinces. The basketball federation quickly dropped the plan. Since then, I have not really given a damn whether Spain wants to do anything with korfball.”
World Games
The Catalans are fine with Spain not interfering with their sport. Just as some people think that Spain should have as little to do with them as possible. It does mean that the korfball players from the region will never be able to compete in the World Games, the Olympic Games for non-Olympic sports. That tournament is organised under the flag of the IOC, which does not recognise Catalonia as a country.
“That really is a pity for the younger generation, who wants to compete at that level, maybe even if that means they should play for Spain”, says Luis Rossa, technical director of the Catalan Korfball Federation. “But we don’t have our own Olympic committee and we can only participate if we are invited.” Serra adds. “The only country that can do that because of our passport is Spain and guess what: that will never happen! It would also be a strange mess, Catalan korfball players suddenly singing the Spanish national anthem. That does not fit.”
And so Navarro Sanchez sang the Catalan national anthem with his teammates at the small venue once more with full conviction. He gets the desired end to his career, in Calonge. “Last year I wanted to stop after the World Championships in Taiwan,” he says. “But when it was announced that the European Championships were being held here in our own Catalonia, I had to stick with it for another year! It’s great that I can end my korfball career in front of my home crowd.”