Stay out of Biel!

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In the atmosphere of the Swiss ice hockey championship, an almost Babylonian discussion has erupted around the city of Biel: who are they? What is being said? More German, more French? Is language confusion a punishment? If so, for what? Which culture do you feel more connected to? The life-affirming Italian? Or the humorless German-speaking Swiss (“pray and work”)? If you ask yourself which part of the country the city of Biel belongs to, should, can or wants to belong, you will not get a conclusive answer.

It is not as in the case of Istanbul, where geography clearly dictates that part of the pearl of the Bosphorus is on European soil and the other on Asian soil. And what about the Röstigraben, whom the French-speaking Swiss call the Rösti Curtain, referring to the former border between the free world and communism?

Does this virtual ditch perhaps provide information? In the cultural city of Biel, people are justifiably proud of their bilingualism – there is no reason to choose one side or the other. And what does the demographics say? The proportion of the population who say French is the official language has risen steadily since 1980 (39%) and by 2022 it was almost half at 43.4 percent. But only almost.

Graubünden is also not part of Ticino

The author, socialized in Chur, surrounded by mountains and cliffs that are nothing more than stones, sees it this way: Biel is in the canton of Bern. The canton of Bern is geographically and ideologically part of German-speaking Switzerland, just as the canton of Graubünden is also part of German-speaking Switzerland and not Ticino, simply because there are a few valleys where Italian is spoken. In addition, a good acquaintance from Biel says without moral sour, but dialect-heavy: “I am German-Swiss, but proud of our bilingualism.”

It’s all well and good that everyone in Biel agrees that they don’t have to agree on anything. But in sports there is no such thing as both-and, decisions are needed – win-win in sports, that feels like going against the grain.

Of course, the suspicion is now being raised that the Italians want to protect themselves with the preventive annexation of the ice hockey city of Biel if the qualifying winner Geneva does not prevail in the final series over the qualifying second Biel.

A king has the last word – befitting his status. Wrestling king Christian Stucki was born in Aarberg and grew up in Diessbach, so he is a real Seelander. His verdict: “The EHC Biel is not a French club, it also belongs to us German-speaking Swiss!”

So, dear friends from western Switzerland: stay away from EHC Biel!

Source : Blick