Barcelona is well-known for being an active and dynamic city and the 1992 Olympic Games substantially contributed to shaping the new face of the city. What are the main changes/legacies from 1992 that resonate in the city today?

The 1992 Olympic Games opened Spain and Barcelona to the world. From 25 July to 9 August, Barcelona demonstrated what a united country was capable of achieving. Three decades later this is what remains of the legacy of the XXV Olympics.
The initial challenge, from the industry to the beach: Before the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona faced significant challenges, one of the most notable being the lack of access to the beach due to the predominance of industrial zones and port warehouses on its coast. However, the city decided to embrace this opportunity and launch an ambitious urban transformation project.
Urban planning and the creation of a new horizon: The key to Barcelona’s success in transforming its landscape was meticulous urban planning. The city built state-of-the-art sports facilities, including the iconic Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium and the impressive Palau Sant Jordi. But beyond the sports infrastructure, Barcelona revitalized its coastal areas and created an artificial beach, Playa de la Barceloneta, which became the heart of the city’s new image.
Transportation infrastructure improvements: An essential part of the transformation was the improvement of transportation infrastructure. Barcelona expanded its metro network to make it more accessible to visitors and residents alike. In addition, a cable car system was established that connected the city with Montjuïc, where various Olympic competitions were held. These improvements not only facilitated mobility during the Games, but also left a legacy of efficient transportation for the city’s inhabitants.
Barcelona’s lasting legacy: The 1992 Olympic Games not only transformed the appearance of Barcelona, ​​but also left a lasting legacy. Investment in infrastructure and revitalization of degraded areas had a long-term positive economic impact. Barcelona became an internationally renowned tourist destination, attracting travellers from all over the world.
Barcelona, ​​once known for its industry, reinvented itself as a vibrant and attractive coastal city thanks to the 1992 Olympic Games. This transformation helped position Barcelona as a global city and left a lasting legacy in terms of infrastructure and urban Development. Today, Barceloneta Beach and the Olympic facilities continue to be living testimonies of this incredible metamorphosis that turned Barcelona into a tourist destination that you cannot miss. Discover the magic of Barcelona and its Olympic legacy for yourself on your next trip!

This is a great sports year for Barcelona as the host of the America’s Cup. Over the course of several months, the city will be hosting a cultural regatta, “offering a programme of culture, art, sports, gastronomy, science, and leisure to strengthen Barcelona’s connection with the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup and spread the sailing buzz among people in the city.” Could you share some details on this amazing programme that combines sport and culture? And please explain how this initiative will provide a long-lasting heritage for the city.

The Cultural Regatta is the schedule of activities running parallel to the America’s Cup sailing competition in Barcelona. Featuring cultural, artistic, food, science, and entertainment activities, it invites all city residents to learn about and enjoy one of the leading sporting events in the world. Some sixty entities, institutions, and facilities will be offering more than 200 activities before, during, and after the America’s Cup.
Great moments of the Cultural Regatta: Unrivalled artistry and passion will be on display at events such as the Barcelona 2024 America’s Cup Ceremony, which will open the Match Race Final of the competition and will be followed by viewers all over the world. Or the event showcasing Barcelona’s artistic creativity right at the heart of the Race Village.
Museums, libraries and culture: With the America’s Cup taking place in the city this year, Barcelona’s museums, libraries and cultural facilities are awash with ideas and activities to immerse visitors in the world of seas and oceans from a diverse range of perspectives. Exhibitions, talks, discussions, installations, shows, and family activities invite you to explore them.
Port Olímpic, a new city space: With the America’s Cup, Port Olímpic has been reborn as a new, totally renovated city space. This year, it is making its debut as a La Mercè stage, with family daytime shows, so that city residents can discover this newly transformed location. The women’s and young people’s regattas will also be accompanied by cultural activities.
Gastronomy, commerce and markets: Tast a la Rambla 2024 offers a range of dishes from the twelve countries taking part in the 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup. There will also be culinary, commerce, and craft festivals and areas in the Born and Barceloneta neighbourhoods, the creation of a cocktail, a special edition of the Poblenou Wine Festival, and seafood tastings in city markets.
Sport and education: In a key year for sailing and nautical activity, the America’s Cup creates sports and training opportunities. Barcelona wants the passion for water sports and the seas to reach everybody, with programmes such as “Viu la vela” to foster sailing among children in the city. At the same time, numerous training initiatives are promoting the nautical sector and the blue economy for a professional career.
Experience Barceloneta, experience Ciutat Vella: Ciutat Vella and Barceloneta are the operational centre of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. Barcelona’s maritime neighbourhood, the city’s fishing neighbourhood, brings the power of its history to the Cultural Regatta, along with its traditions, vitality and community fabric. A sea culture expressed through exhibitions, routes and all sorts of artistic activities.

In light of he significant experience Barcelona will gain from hosting the America’s Cup, how do you view the potential for collaboration with other cities that have hosted or will host sailing events? What do you see as the key benefits of sharing information and strengthening these inter-city collaborations?

Barcelona will always bet on hosting major sporting events both to promote the city as a benchmark in the world of sport and to project the Barcelona brand throughout the world. In addition, holding these events in the city gives us the opportunity to bring these sports closer to the public, as we are doing with the America’s Cup, which has allowed us to promote initiatives to bring nautical sports closer to the people of Barcelona.
Barcelona is an open, diverse, international city, and expert in organizing great events and experiencing them as they have never been experienced before.
We want to continue betting on the Barcelona brand linked to the organization of major international sporting events. It is always demanding, with the criteria and the means, to ensure that sporting events in Barcelona are sustainable, of quality, and with a gender perspective.
To do this, and we always do it, we follow the experience of previous organized events, and obviously, work and obtain information and collaboration from cities that have been able to be organizers in recent editions.
An example is the city of Bilbao. Last 18 June, Barcelona presented the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2026. The city of Bilbao hosted this great event in 2023 and we worked together on both the candidacy process and assessment of the economic impact and city involvement.
Right here, another example is the city of Brisbane. We are collaborating with them in the run-up to the next Olympic Games in 2032. After the organization of Barcelona ’92, the city developed a very extensive city legacy program that we are still using as an example. And that is what we are working together on with Brisbane to develop a similar program during and after the Games.
This is why I consider it essential to maintain relations with the different organizing cities and establish synergies and joint alliances for the organization of programs, activities and events.

On 23 June, Barcelona hosted Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix. To bring this sport closer to the public, the event offered a series of activities open to children and families in the Plaça Catalunya Fan Village.  How do you reconcile a festive atmosphere and fan mobilisation with the environmental challenges inherent to a sport such as F1?

The Formula 1 grand prix is ​​the main event in terms of economic and media impact for the circuit. The event gathers 284,066 visitors in four days, almost half of all tourists received in 2023 at the Circuit, generates 200 million euros in indirect return, according to the Department of Business, and 2,670 jobs, according to a 2019 circuit study. For most hotels in the region, the dates of the Grand Prix represent between “30% and 35% of the annual results”, although for the closest hotels it increases to “70% or 80%”. In addition, the contribution it has to the international projection of Barcelona and Catalonia is obvious. The F1 award has been held for 33 years and we want it to continue for many more years.
So, if F1 is a project with clearly more advantages than disadvantages, we must claim it. And a good way to do that is with a public display.
Regarding the arguments against, we do not believe that this exhibition has anything to do with the necessary reduction of pollution and noise in the city. The municipal government’s commitment is clear in this regard.
This is a timely and extraordinary act and perfectly compatible with the will to continue to calm traffic, reduce CO2, and combat noise pollution. And I think everyone understands it that way. To be precise, if it attracts so much attention, it is because it is punctual and extraordinary.
What is being exhibited is technological innovation and state-of-the-art automotive technology. And that’s why we have a specific circuit. You can perfectly enjoy this show and be a firm supporter of pacifying traffic. In the same way that you can be an environmentalist and have a car. What is important is responsible use and the promotion of sustainable alternatives.
This exhibition was a success with an influx of more than 100,000 visitors. It was a success because it makes it possible to bring a show to the general public that is usually difficult to access for the citizens of Barcelona  due to its price and its location.
In this way, we bring people closer to a sporting activity that has many followers in our home, but which people can mostly only watch on television. A very familiar audience attended, gathering young and old. And also many, many young people. As at other times and for 21 years, Barcelona had celebrated the Festa del Cel, with an exhibition of airplanes and aerial acrobatics, which were an extraordinary success and with family audiences. And this F1 exhibition was also successful, with Pg. De Gràcia full of people.

How will Barcelona celebrate Olympism in conjunction with this summer’s Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games?

The Barcelona Olympic and Sports Museum is currently hosting a major exhibition on the 2024 Games: Paris 2024 – Games wide open. The Museum invites us to explore how Paris 2024 emphasizes the importance of opening the Games to the streets and most significant locations in the city of Paris, with the intention of sharing the emotions generated by hosting the Games with as many people as possible. The exhibition is on until 2 March 2025!