On 17 October 1986, at the 91st Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, the then IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, spoke the words the city had been waiting for: «À la ville de… Barcelona». Barcelona had been chosen to host the Games of the XXV Olympiad.
That announcement, which sparked joy among thousands of people across the city, marked the beginning of a collective project that transformed Barcelona.
The 1992 Games drove a profound urban renewal, opened the city to the sea, modernised its infrastructure and projected its image to the world. They also left a legacy of volunteering, civic spirit and shared pride that remains alive four decades later.
One of the main guardians of the legacy of the Barcelona 1992 Olympic and Paralympic Games is the Fundació Barcelona Olímpica, a private non-profit organisation that manages the Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch and the Centre d’Estudis Olímpics i de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch, which safeguard the memory of the 1992 Games. On this anniversary, we want to keep alive the Olympic spirit that Barcelona made its own and continue sharing it with new generations.
