Democratic memory days of Osona and Lluçanès

The Voltreganès region is preparing to host the 9th Osona and Lluçanès Democratic Memory Conference, an annual event that this year invites reflection on a topic as present yet as little explored as the role of sport during the Franco regime. On November 21st and 22nd, Sant Hipòlit de Voltregà and Les Masies de Voltregà will become spaces for dialogue, discovery, and remembrance under the motto "Sport, a space of memory between generations."

It is no coincidence that these conferences are being held in Voltreganès, a region with a strong sporting identity and a widely recognized hockey tradition. This setting is ideal for looking back and understanding how sport has been much more than physical activity: a social mirror, a space for freedom, or, depending on the era, a tool of control.

During the Second Republic, sport experienced a period of openness and transformation. Values such as health, social harmony, and equality were promoted, making it a channel for democratic advocacy. A prime example was the People's Olympiad of Barcelona in 1936, conceived as a response to the Berlin Olympic Games and the rise of fascism, although the Civil War prevented its realization.

However, with the arrival of Franco's regime, sport fell under the control of the FET and the JONS. What had been a space for participation became a mechanism for propaganda, discipline, and indoctrination, both in schools and in organized sports.

The events will culminate with a tribute to the people of Voltreganès who were repressed and tried by the regime, with the annulment of the summary trials in an emotional institutional ceremony in the Jardins del Despujol.

A weekend to remember, understand and share memories!