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Spanish PM Urges Support For Madrid 2020

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged every Spaniard to give the same nationwide support to Madrid 2020 as was given to Barcelona when it was awarded the 1992 Olympic Games.

He made the comment when he was being presented with the Madrid 2020 Candidature File by Ana Botella, Mayor of Madrid, and Madrid 2020 bid President Alejandro Blanco, at a ceremony held at the Moncloa Palace, his official residence.

He said, “in 1992 we were all Barceloneses, and in 2020 Madrid is expecting us all to be Madrilenos”.

Rajoy described Madrid’s bid as a “showcase” revealing what the people of Spain are capable of when they unite in a common cause, adding, “the Candidature File is the very best example of the excellence that can be achieved by team work and faithful cooperation between the various levels of government”.

He pointed to Madrid’s proven organizational capabilities, the fact that the city has been diligently going about its preparations for many years, and the excitement among its inhabitants at the opportunity to host the Games.

Mayor Botella said, “this is an Olympic bid by the whole of Spain, one that goes beyond the city and is a national project, a project for everyone and based on efficient, simplified and intelligent management. It has the support of the entire country”.

Blanco, who is also head of the Spanish Olympic Committee, said, “the organization and plan for the Madrid Games are guaranteed, backed and promoted by the entire government and the Prime Minister”.

He added that the project was credible, achievable, controllable, responsible, and – using a word he said he was keen to bring to Rajoy’s attention – predictable, in that it was a project that could only lead to success.

“We have every faith in the sporting and organizational ability of Spain. We are a benchmark throughout the world thanks to the quality of our sportsmen and women, our coaches and our federations”, said Blanco.

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