Olympic Legacy

The 1992 Olympics put Barcelona on the map, consolidating its position as a great European city while it was still in its democratic infancy.

The improvements brought on by the preparations for the games, coupled with their after effects, are still in full swing more than 25 years later.

Aside from the more tangible impacts, the effect it has had on local morale was valuable in encouraging Spaniards and Catalans alike to look toward the future and finally emerge from their relatively recent dictatorial past.

The city’s budget to prepare for the games was 154 billion Spanish pesetas, the equivalent of EUR925 million today.

Approximately 95% of this budget was invested into the city’s transport links and infrastructure. Perhaps the best example of this is the design of Barcelona’s rondas, ring roads that were implemented to limit congestion coming into the city.
In recent years, Barcelona has gained international recognition for its approach to urban planning, most notably Salvador Rueda’s initiative to introduce superblocks that limit traffic, air, and noise pollution. The foundations of this innovative approach can also be traced back to 1992. When faced with the problem of finding space for Olympic pools in the city, the administration looked to Montjuïc, an area outside of central Barcelona.

Today, this area remains a popular destination among tourists and locals alike, for its impressive views of the city against the backdrop of the sea.

Poblenou, a traditionally industrial area, was also restored in an attempt to maximize space within the city and cope with the influx of participants and attendees. The area that was once known as ‘Catalonia’s Manchester’ is now a popular place for the youth to live and is well-known for being a technological hub that is also home to a vibrant art and gastronomical scene.
The changes made to the city in the run-up to the games were not always purely functional; some even had aesthetic and were specifically designed to make the city more attractive as a destination.

The city beach, now an emblem for locals and tourists alike, was one such by-product. Leading up to the games, the government demolished industrial buildings and imported sand from Egypt to create the 3-km beach front.

Aside from preparations for the Olympics, some of its most long-lasting consequences were unanticipated. Specifically, it unleashed a torrent of sportsmanship in Spain, with 22 medals being won by Spanish athletes, 13 of which were gold. Since 1992, Spain’s reputation as a contender in sports especially in tennis and football has grown dramatically. Real Madrid and Barcelona FC are now two of the most successful sports clubs of all time.

Perhaps the most well-known—and controversial—result of the Olympics is that it opened the floodgates for tourism, not only by putting Barcelona on the map per se, but also by attracting visitors thanks to good transport links, City Beach, and the green spaces that were put in place for the Olympic games. In 1990, the city received 1.7 million tourists, with the figure growing YoY to reach 9 million in 2017.

Although this means a flurry of economic activity in the city, where tourism accounts for 12% of the region’s GDP, it also has detrimental effects on residents of the city. Rising rent prices and increased traffic and pollution are but some of the issues now affecting the city on a daily basis.

The 1992 Olympic games are still considered one of the greatest in history, not least because of the geopolitical climate of the time that saw newly independent countries including former Yugoslavian and Soviet Union states participating.

The game’s success surpassed even the most optimistic forecasts, a testament to Barcelona’s ability to harmoniously bring together these nations. Meanwhile, for residents, the evolution of their city is divided into two periods: the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of the 1992 games.