Other sports facilities

The Olympic Ring

Metro: Plaça d’Espanya, Escalators to the Olympic Ring

The Barcelona Olympic Games, held in the summer of 1992, provided the city with greatly improved sports facilities.

The Olympic Stadium, originally built in 1929, and the Picornell swimming pools, were restored for the occasion, and brand new facilities were built, such as the magnificent Palau de Sant Jordi, the velodrome at Horta and the Olympic Port.

Within the remodelling works which have given rise to the new Barcelona facing the sea, we must also mention the highest part of the city: the hill of Montjuïc, where the sports facilities were remodelled to adapt them to the modern conditions demanded by Olympic Games.

The reurbanised area of the Montjuïc hill was named the Olympic Ring.

This part of the hill has undergone a radical change: the Montjuïc Stadium was rebuilt, respecting the façade, and the Picornell Swimming Pools built in 1969 were modernised. Two brand-new structures were constructed, the Sant Jordi Sports Hall, by Arata Isozaki, and a monolith commemorating the Olympic Games by the engineer Santiago Calatrava.

Sant Jordi Sports Palace

Metro: Plaça d’Espanya, Escalators to the Sports Palace

This sports stadium was designed especially for the Olympic games of 1992 by Arata Isozaki. It can accommodate 15,000 people.

An enormous plaza is situated between Sant Jordi and the older Olympic Stadium (remodelled for the 1992 Games).

Water terraces and a modern sculpture decorate this space. The Sant Jordi Hall is a real jewel of the modern architecture and it is the symbol of the Barcelona of the future.

The Hall, considered a versatile and multifunctional area, has the most modern technology. It is an intelligent building where everything can be self-regulated: temperature, light, air, sound and image screens.

Montjuïc Olympic Stadium

Metro: Plaça d’Espanya, Escalators to the Olympic Stadium

The Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc was the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field competition for the 1992 Olympics (An Olympic museum and gallery can be found under the south-east corner of the stadium).

The stadium was built in 1923 but largely renovated for the Olympics. The stadium stands on the summit of Montjuïc, a large hill situated in the south-west of the city, overlooking the harbour.

The Metro stations of Espanya, Poble Sec and Paral-lel all stand at the foot of the hill - Paral-lel has connections with a funicular railway which heads up to an amusement park.

At present, the Olympic Stadium has two resident teams, the Barcelona Dragons (European League of American Football) and the Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol (football league). Sporting events at the stadium are complemented by concerts as well as activities related to congresses, etc.

Picornell Swimming Pools

Metro: Plaça d’Espanya, Escalators to the swimming pools

The Bernat Picornell swimming pools are located on Montjuïc, by the Olympic Stadium and the Palau Sant Jordi. During the 1992 Olympic Games they were the venue for the swimming events.

Since then they have hosted top-level competitions in the field of swimming, water polo and synchronised swimming. You, too, can swim in the same waters as these top athletes.

Futbol Club Barcelona (Barça)

Metro: Collblanc or Maria Cristina
Web: http://www.fcbarcelona.com

Where spectator sports are concerned, Barcelona has two major football teams —Reial Club Esportiu Espanyol and Futbol Club Barcelona (nicknamed “Barça”)— which are famous the world over.

The latter was founded at the turn of the century and boasts a supporters’ club with over 104,000 members and one of the largest stadiums in the world with room for 110,000 spectators.

Nou Camp is a source of immense pride to Barcelona’s supporters not only because of the sheer size of the stadium, but also due to the architectural design. The modern facilities available here make it by far the best football venue in Europe.

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a semi-autonomous province of Spain with its own language, flag and national anthem, all of which have, for long periods in the last 80 years, been banned by Madrid regimes.

Any transgressions were heavily punished. Thus, following Barça became the main political vehicle by which Catalans could express their hatred of central government, particularly during Franco’s 46-year dictatorship. This explains why Catalans consider Barça “more than a club” (més que un club!).

If you like fútbol (soccer), or if you just want an interesting cultural experience, you should try to see at least one Barça match. Their season runs from September to May, and you can get tickets at the ticket offices of the Nou Camp Stadium hours before a game, but it is difficult to get tickets against a better team. It´s tolerated, but not legal, to buy tickets from scalpers outside the stadium.

Palau Blaugrana

Metro: Collblanc
Web: http://www.fcbarcelona.com

Opposite the main stadium of the Football Club Barcelona there is the Palau Blaugrana, where the basketball, rink hockey, handball and indoor football teams play. The Museu del Barça can be visited in the Camp Nou, where trophies, photographs, documents, pennants and other curiosities from the history of the club are exhibited.

If you want to see one of these sports played, tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices of the Palau Blaugrana before games.

World Swimming Championships

In the second half of July 2003, Barcelona will have the honour of hosting the X FINA World Swimming Championships Barcelona 2003.

The Mediterranean will once again be a bridge between nations, ideas and cultures - a symbol of life. Water will bind together in a celebration the toughest competitive spirit with the spirit of fiesta, fraternity and cooperation between peoples.

During the competition’s thirteen days, Barcelona will be the world reference for aquatic sports. The event will bring together all the stars of the moment, participating in swimming, water polo, synchronised swimming, diving and open water events.