The communications team at the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP) made a huge mistake when promoting the ATP 500 in Barcelona, Spain, one of the most traditional tournaments on the European sports calendar.
Making an ‘art’ with the city’s name, the ATP replaced the L in ‘Barcelona’ with the flag known as ‘Blue Star’ [Senyera Estelada em catalão] which is the official flag of the independence movement of Catalonia – the Spanish province of which Barcelona is the capital.
In the Spanish press, the act was considered a gaffe, but it did not go down well on social media and the ATP deleted the publications.
According to historical records, the Blue Star appeared for the first time in the 1920s, but began to be effectively used as a symbol for the region’s independence in the 1970s, during protests and actions for the redemocratization of Spain.
The ATP 500 in Barcelona will be played between April 15th and 21st in its main draws and has the confirmed presence of the greatest champion in its history, Rafael Nadal with 12 titles, two-time champion Kei Nishikori, champion Carlos Alcaraz and other names such as Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev.
