Nou Barris Athletics Club demands improvements at Can Dragó

The sports entity calls for a rally to demand a dignified space and the full recovery of facilities after CE Europa's relocation.

Generic image of an athletic track with hurdles and grass in the background.
IA

Generic image of an athletic track with hurdles and grass in the background.

The Nou Barris Athletics Club has called a rally for next Thursday afternoon to demand a dignified sports space and the recovery of the Can Dragó facilities, affected by the temporary relocation of CE Europa.

The entity celebrates the return of CE Europa to Gràcia, after the Barcelona City Council resolved the issues to renovate the Nou Sardenya without affecting grassroots football. However, the athletics club fears being forgotten, which is why families have organized this mobilization, supporting a statement the club issued a few days ago.

"We celebrate that these technical difficulties have finally been overcome and we assume that the provisional phase will soon end. Therefore, we demand that the City Council fulfill its commitment and carry out the necessary actions to make Can Dragó a reference athletics track in Catalonia."

a club spokesperson
The club's board emphasizes the importance of its social and inclusive work, and warns that they do not want it to be at risk of survival. The presence of CE Europa at Can Dragó has led to a significant loss of athletes, especially federated ones, and has prevented optimal training conditions or the organization of competitions.
An example of this problem is the cancellation of a national adapted athletics championship scheduled for June, as the facilities are not ready. To adapt them, it would be necessary to remove stands, approve the throwing area of the swimming pool (where they currently train), and even remove nine trees to level the landing area for throwing implements, or install a cage on the track.
During the works, the athletics school had to move to the grass esplanade of the Can Dragó swimming pool, a space unsuitable for athletics practice. Subsequently, they have shared space with CE Europa, with temporary stands occupying part of the track, hindering some disciplines and posing a risk to athletes' visibility.
The club and families demand the full recovery of the stadium for athletics once football returns to its original location. They request adequate maintenance of the natural grass, the reinstallation of the throwing cage in the central part, the recovery of jumping elements, the removal of stands that interfere with athletics practice, and the study of installing seating always outside the athletics track.