Key day to decide the future of Spanish badminton with the presidential elections. The current candidacy for the Presidency of the Spanish Badminton Federation, led by Andoni Azurmendi, is being the subject of serious complaints that call into question the transparency, legitimacy and integrity of the electoral process. Rodrigo Sanjurjo, president of the Galician Badminton Federation and candidate to preside over the Spanish Federation, has addressed a letter to the Secretary of State for Sports, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, and to the General Director of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), Fernando Molinero .
Sanjurjo has exposed a series of maneuvers that, according to him “they threaten the internal democracy and sustainability of the sports organization”he has acknowledged. Rodrigo denounces that several people have been hired by the Federation in key positions to influence the vote of high-level athletes. Among the names mentioned are Beatriz Corrales, CARD athlete and Salvador Franco, father of one of the current CARD athleteswho have recently been incorporated as Technical Staff of the Federation. Added to these hires is Lucía Galvín, who joined the sports area as an administrator.
The concern is compounded when considering the alleged state of financial stress that the Spanish Badminton Federation is going through, described by Sanjurjo as “precarious”. There are indications that the situation is so unsustainable that the Federation has been forced to cancel its participation in the final phase of the Women’s World Cup and the Junior World Cup due to lack of financial resources. Added to this is the fact that the audits corresponding to the year 2023 have not yet been published on the transparency portal, thus violating the Sports Law.
This double problem has been interpreted as an attempt to manipulate the electoral process in favor of the current candidacy led by Andoni Azurmendi. One of the most alarming aspects of the complaint is the management of voting by mail. With an incidence that affects 20% of applications, the irregularities are concentrated in those autonomous communities that have shown dissatisfaction with the current management of the Federation, which points to a possible intentional manipulation of the process.
In addition, audios and documents have been leaked that show the improper intervention of Federation employees in the electoral process. A PDF file leaked before the official sending of the vote by mail It contained ballots with candidates related to the candidacy of Andoni Azurmendi already digitally marked.
Another key accusation is the inclusion of salaried employees of the Federation as candidates on the General Assembly lists. Among those mentioned are Arturo Ruiz, Ernesto García, Lucía Galvín and Salvador Franco, who, according to the complaint, they would not have served as coaches of the athletes they supposedly represent. Sanjurjo has also stated that some of these workers “have been offering to accompany athletes to vote or to subsequently cover the costs of voting by mail, generating an economic advantage,” he noted.
This situation, added to the fact that some athletes from the Madrid High Performance Center have received their vote by mail from the hands of Andoni Azurmendi himself, and that others have received already prepared and sealed envelopes with the marked ballots, constitutes serious coercion and manipulation of the electoral process.
Sanjurjo points out that the Secretary General of the Federation, David Serrano, who is part of the managing commission without having been elected by the Board of Directors, and who also manages the email of the Electoral Board, has formally requested on behalf of the Spanish Federation , economic documentation of recent years exclusively to the autonomous federations who have shown their support for Sanjurjo’s candidacy, also referring to alleged conversations with the CSD.
The Federation and its current president, Andoni Azurmendi, have also been reported to the Higher Sports Council for irregularly modifying official regulations to favor certain clubs, such as in cases of promotion to the highest category, just before the electoral process. Furthermore, the signing of economic agreements that transcend the current legislature, for amounts exceeding 490,000 euros with the European Confederation, without the approval of the General Assembly or the Higher Sports Councilclearly fails to comply with the statutes of the Spanish Federation. These actions not only reflect a disregard for the rules, but also mortgage the future of Spanish badminton, further weakening the credibility of the electoral process.
Sanjurjo has requested the urgent intervention of the CSD to investigate the facts and guarantee a fair electoral process and paralyze this situation. “The legitimacy of this electoral process and the fundamental values of justice, equality and respect are at stake,” he said in his letter.
At the moment, the CSD has not issued an official response to the complaints, but the case highlights the internal tensions in the Spanish Badminton Federation and the need for Rigorous oversight to ensure transparency and impartiality in sport management.
The outcome of these elections will determine not only the future of the Federation, but also confidence in the democratic processes within sports entities.
