President of the Gibraltar Amateur Athletics Association, Frank Carreras yesterday expressed his sadness that “politics should once again have interfered with an international sporting event”.

Attending the 20th. European Amateur Athletics championships in Barcelona as team manager to athlete Dominic Carroll and after having been accredited, he was informed that they would not be allowed to participate in the Opening Ceremony.

Three weeks previously they had heard rumours that there might be a problem at Barcelona if they attended, which they are entitled to – as full members of the International Amateur Athletics Federation, who assured them that these would be overcome. A GAAA committee decision was made that they must attend – and their decision was conveyed to the CEO of the Gibraltar Sports and Leisure Authority Joe Hernandez.

Speaking from his hotel in Barcelona, Mr Carreras said that on arrival there were no problems with the accommodation and Registration; however, on Monday, they learned that Gibraltar would not be allowed to participate in the Opening Ceremony parade, nor fly the Gibraltar flag.

Mr. Carreras, who was very upset, immediately appealed to the President of European Athletics Association Mr Hansjorg Wirz (Switzerland) who took up the case with the local organisers of the Games on Gibraltar’s behalf.

At a subsequent meeting with Mr Carreras, Mr Wirz assured him that there were no problems with Gibraltar participating at the Games as far as the EAA were concerned but that the problem was with the local organisers who insisted that they were responsible for the Opening – and Closing – Ceremonies.

Gibraltar’s flag flies alongside all other national flags over the Games – “ and we shall stay as long as it does”, says Mr Carreras.

“In all other respects we are being treated in a similar fashion to others, entrance to the VIP lounge included. Many people are surprised, and pleased, to see us there. We have made a lot of useful contacts and I have spoken with the President of the Barcelona 2010 organising committee, Jose Maria Odriozola, who confirmed that taking part in the Ceremonies would not be allowed.

“My other major disappointment was Dominic ‘false starting’ in his heat of the 100mtrs. – under the new IAAF rules , you only get one chance – and he was obviously under great pressure after all that had happened. There was considerable noise around the start and it was hard to concentrate – and he suffered just as much, if not more, disappointment.

“But there is much to be gained from attendance at these Championships and we shall remain until Friday’s finale – as long as our flag flies!”

History tells us that this latest incident is an echo of the past.

In the ‘80’s, Avellino Baldachino attended the European Indoor Championships at Madrid and Gibraltar suffered the ‘No Flag’ ban – the Official decision at the time was for ‘No National flags being flown’, but Avellino was ‘booed’.

At a later IAAF Games in Seville, Gibraltar’s President Fred Chappory protested to the IAAF over Gibraltar’s treatment.