Elisa Aguilar (Madrid, 47 years old) has just completed half a year at the head of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) and is now facing a new electoral process for the presidency for the next Olympic cycle. On April 22, the assembly members will be elected and May 7 is the deadline for other candidates to appear for the position.
Ask. Balance of these six months?
Answer. Very positive. I started with a lot of support from the assembly and that motivates. I had unanimity. We have signed the collective agreement for women’s basketball, we have the men’s pre-Olympic tournament in Valencia and the girls are already in the Games. We do not stop. I haven’t had any unpleasantness. I have been in management and in this house for a long time. I know the entire ecosystem that surrounds a federation.
Q. Does the model involve harmony with the clubs?
R. Yes. I believe in teamwork. Since I started on the court at the age of nine until now that I am president and I am 47. There are differences, but the goal is common: to make basketball bigger. This means that the competitions are the best possible. Clubs are essential. I have been a competition director for eight years and I know the effort they make. I always build bridges. We get along well with the ACB, which is the second best League in the world after the NBA. That is what differentiates us from other sports, that we are united, in the same direction and rowing together.
Q. Unlike football?
R. There are always differences. The question is how to manage them. I talk about mine and in my head there is no other way than to sit at the table and look for solutions. Someone always has to give in, it’s logical. That’s the key to success. Nobody likes what happens in football, but I am very respectful. There are open judicial issues and we must hope that they are resolved for the good of Spanish sport.
Q. Is the challenge the half a million licenses?
R. Yes, it is essential that we become more and more in the basketball family. At school it must be in first position, due to the lifestyle and the values that it entails. I have in my hands a sport that can change people’s lives. We have grown 9%. We are at 411,000 licenses.
Q. The collective agreement?
R. We have signed to protect the rights of the players. It has not been an easy process. There were disagreements, but a common goal. I went away to play and now the vast majority of the internationals are in Spain. This creates more role models for the girls who play in the school yard. We are an example worldwide.
Q. Did the accounts add up for the pre-Olympic in Valencia?
R. On a sporting level, the best thing was to play at home. The conversation with the Generalitat Valenciana lasted five minutes. We told them about the FIBA requirements and they immediately accepted.
Q. How did you see Ricky?
R. Very good. When he asked for a break, we worried about Ricky the person. If he had never played again, we would be eternally grateful for everything he gave. He comes back and wants to play his first game with Spain. We have been close to him. He has recovered. It is the best news since I have been president.
Q. Another big challenge is that Rudy is in his sixth Games?
R. It’s a romantic goal. His legacy is historic, he is our great captain. If we are in the Paris Games, we will propose to the Spanish Olympic Committee that Rudy be the flag bearer.
Q. Is 3×3 growing?
R. It is a strategic pillar for me due to economic growth and licenses, and because it is an Olympic discipline. We are looking for the first Olympic classification.
Q. Is Sergio Scariolo’s renewal closed?
R. If I become president, Sergio Scariolo will be the coach. Sure.
Q. And Miguel Mendez?
R. If I become president, I hope that Miguel will be my women’s coach, which I think will be the case.
Q. Lorenzo Brown and Megan Gustafson, with no ties to Spain, are the last to be naturalized. How do you explain that policy?
R. The FIBA brand standard: a nationalized by selection. The men’s has been nationalized for many years. The women’s, since 2011. Lorenzo and Megan have covered a sporting need. They had no connection with Spain, but they adapt as if they were here from day one. We put the best names on the table for the selectors with the regulations in hand.
Q. Are you concerned about the increasing verbal violence in sport?
R. Absolute condemnation. Fortunately in our sport that environment is not experienced except occasionally. Soccer generates a lot of passion. There are always people who don’t know what sport is about.
Q. Is the basketball team a team?
R. Being from the national team is being from La Familia. Is for all the life. We are going to launch the La Familia club, be a member of the national team. And we will create Team Spain for the internationals. That has differentiated us in the world.
Q. You are the first president of the FEB in 100 years. Marta Figueras-Dotti, president of the European women’s golf circuit, says that in Spain there is fear of giving power to a woman. Do you agree?
R. We are growing. If you look back, the woman has not consumed sports. We have been late in practice. That’s why we later considered management, not because we didn’t want to, but because of an educational aspect. Fortunately, there are more and more of us. I am a clear example. Basketball has made that progress, it lives up to what society demands. I have been chosen based on meritocracy, not because of gender. The assembly wanted the best person. I am by experience and training. Then I want to have the best on my team. I do it by belief, not by quotas. It’s not a gender war.
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