The 16th Olympic Forum – Romà Cuyàs Memorial opened its first day in Barcelona, bringing together leading figures from the sporting, institutional and academic spheres to reflect on the main challenges and opportunities currently facing major sporting events.
The opening ceremony was chaired by David Escudé, President of the Barcelona Olympic Foundation and Councillor for Sports of the Barcelona City Council, who highlighted the importance of the Forum as a space for dialogue and strategic reflection on sport and Olympism.
Among the attendees were members of the Board of Trustees of the Barcelona Olympic Foundation, including Maria Teresa Samaranch, Enric Truñó and Juli Pernas, as well as members of the organising committee of this 16th edition: Santiago Deó, Martí Niubó and José Luis López del Amo. Also present were Susana Closa, General Manager of the Barcelona Institute of Sports, former Secretaries for Sport and other prominent figures from the sector.
The session began with an institutional greeting from Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), followed by an address by Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs, IOC Vice-President, who focused his presentation on the future of Olympism and the challenges facing the Olympic Movement in a changing global context.
One of the key themes of the session was public-private collaboration in the organisation of major sporting events, with contributions from David Escudé and Ramón Agenjo, Director of the Damm Foundation and President of Barcelona Global. The discussion analysed success stories, challenges and best practices aimed at maximising the social, economic and international impact of these events.
Subsequently, Jordi Suriñach and Esther Vayá, members of the AQR-Lab Laboratory, presented the paper “Economic and social impact of hosting major sporting events”. The study, conducted by the University of Barcelona (UB), focused on analysing the effects of the 2024 America’s Cup, held in Barcelona.
The day continued with a presentation by Raúl Chapado, President of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, who addressed “Federation management in major sporting events”, sharing experiences, organisational challenges, institutional coordination and key lessons to ensure the success of large-scale competitions.
Meanwhile, Maria Elena Fort, Vice-President of FC Barcelona, highlighted “The role of FC Barcelona in major sporting events”, underlining the club’s influence as a strategic actor in Barcelona’s international projection and its social impact beyond the purely sporting sphere.
The event was closed by Berni Álvarez, Minister for Sports of the Government of Catalonia, who emphasised the Olympic Forum’s role as a well-established platform for reflection on the present and future of sport and Olympism, reaffirming the institutional commitment to the development of sustainable major sporting events with a lasting legacy.
The first day of the Forum was moderated by journalist Jordi Fandiño.
We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, 15 January, for the second session: mind and performance
The 16th Olympic Forum – Romà Cuyàs Memorial will continue tomorrow, 15 January, at 5:30 pm with a second session focused on mental performance and sport. The session will feature Alejandro Blanco, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), and Mar Rovira, Head of the Mental Performance Department at RCD Espanyol de Barcelona.
A round table discussion will also take place with athletes Ruth Beitia, Jennifer Pareja and Marta Pérez, moderated by José Luis López del Amo.
This second session will be streamed live on the YouTube channel of the Barcelona Olympic Foundation – Olympic Museum: second session: mind and performance
