1992 Summer Olympics

Multi-sport event in Barcelona, Spain From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1992 Summer Olympicsmap

The 1992 Summer Olympics (Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, Catalan: Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (Spanish: Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, Catalan: Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994, the International Olympic Committee decided to hold the Summer and Winter Olympics in alternating even-numbered years. The 1992 Summer and Winter Olympics were the last games to be staged in the same year.[3] These games were the second and last two consecutive Olympic games to be held in Western Europe after the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, held five months earlier.

Quick Facts Location, Motto ...
Games of the XXV Olympiad
Emblem of the 1992 Summer Olympics
LocationBarcelona, Spain
MottoFriends for Life
(Spanish: Amigos para siempre, Catalan: Amics per sempre)
Nations169
Athletes9,356 (6,652 men, 2,704 women)[1]
Events256 in 25 sports (34 disciplines)
Opening25 July 1992
Closing9 August 1992
Opened by
Closed by
Cauldron
StadiumEstadi Olímpic de Montjuïc
Summer
Winter
1992 Summer Paralympics
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The 1992 Games received universal acclaim, with the organisation, volunteers, sportsmanship, and Spanish public being lauded in the international media. Some media describe the Barcelona games as one of the best Olympics ever.[4][5] The Games showed a renewed image of democratic Spain and projected Barcelona and the whole Spain to the world. Thanks to the Games, the city of Barcelona was completely transformed; it is thanks to the Olympics that the Barcelona of today is built.[6] All the venues are still active and the legacy of the 1992 Games was taken as an example for future Olympic events, such as London 2012.[7]

The 1992 Summer Games were the first since the end of the Cold War, and the first unaffected by boycotts since the 1972 Summer Games.[8] 1992 was also the first year South Africa was re-invited to the Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee, after a 32-year ban from participating in international sport due to apartheid.[9] The Unified Team (made up by the former Soviet republics without the Baltic states) topped the medal table, winning 45 gold and 112 overall medals.

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Host city selection

Barcelona is the second-largest city in Spain and the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, and the hometown of then-IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch and the famous European club, FC Barcelona. The city was also a host for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. On 17 October 1986, Barcelona was selected to host the 1992 Summer Olympics over Amsterdam, Netherlands (the city also hosted the 1928 games); Belgrade, Yugoslavia; Birmingham, United Kingdom; Brisbane, Australia; and Paris, France, during the 91st IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland.[10] New Delhi, India, had announced a bid for the games, but withdrew in March 1986.[11] With 85 out of 89 members of the IOC voting by secret ballot, Barcelona won a majority of 47 votes. Samaranch abstained from voting. In the same IOC meeting, Albertville, France, won the right to host the 1992 Winter Games. Paris and Brisbane would eventually be selected to host the 2024 and 2032 Summer Olympics respectively.[12]

Barcelona had previously bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics that were ultimately held in Berlin, Germany.

More information City, Country ...
1992 Summer Olympics bidding results[13]
City Country Round
1 2 3
Barcelona Spain293747
Paris France192023
Belgrade SFR Yugoslavia13115
Brisbane Australia11910
Birmingham Great Britain88
Amsterdam Netherlands5
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Highlights

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The Olympic cauldron lit during the Games in Montjuïc
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David Robinson shoots a free throw to help secure the gold medal for the United States "Dream Team".
  • At the innovative opening ceremony, Greek mezzo-soprano Agnes Baltsa sang "Romiossini" as the Olympic flag was paraded around the stadium. Alfredo Kraus later sang the Olympic Hymn in Catalan, Spanish and French, as the flag was hoisted.
  • The Olympic cauldron was ignited using a flaming arrow, lit from the flame of the Olympic torch. It was shot by Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo, who aimed the arrow over the top of the cauldron to ignite the gas emanating from it. The arrow landed outside the stadium.[14] This unusual method for lighting the cauldron had been carefully designed to avoid any chance of the arrow landing in the stadium if Rebollo missed his target.[15][16]
  • South Africa rejoined the Summer Olympics having been banned for its apartheid policy after the 1960 Summer Olympics. The women's 10,000 metres event was hotly contested. White South African runner Elana Meyer and black Ethiopian runner Derartu Tulu (winner) ran hand-in-hand in a victory lap.[17]
  • Germany sent a unified team having reunified in 1990, the last such team was at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
  • As the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, the formerly Soviet-occupied states of Estonia and Latvia sent their own teams for the first time since 1936, while Lithuania sent its own team for the first time since 1928. The other former Soviet republics decided to compete together and formed the Unified Team, which consisted of present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The Unified Team finished first in the medal standings, edging the United States.
  • The separation of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led to the Olympic debuts of Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to United Nations sanctions, athletes from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (consisting of present-day Serbia and Montenegro) were not allowed to participate with their own team. However, some individual athletes competed under the Olympic flag as Independent Olympic Participants. Serbia would return to the Olympics at the 2008 Summer Olympics and as well as Montenegro on what would be its Olympic debut as separate states.
  • In basketball, the admittance of NBA players led to the formation of the "Dream Team" of the United States, featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and other NBA stars. Prior to 1992, only European and South American professionals were allowed to compete, while the Americans used college players. The Dream Team won the gold medal and was inducted as a unit into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.[18]
  • Fermín Cacho won the 1,500 m in his home country, earning Spain's first-ever Olympic gold medal in a running event.[19]
  • Chinese diver Fu Mingxia, age 13, became one of the youngest Olympic gold medalists of all time.
  • In men's artistic gymnastics, Vitaly Scherbo from Belarus, (representing the Unified Team), won six gold medals, including four in a single day. Scherbo tied Eric Heiden's record for individual gold medals at a single Olympics, winning five medals in an individual event (Michael Phelps would later equal this record in 2008).
  • In women's artistic gymnastics, Tatiana Gutsu took gold in the All-Around competition edging the USA's Shannon Miller.
  • Russian swimmers (competing for the Unified Team) dominated the men's freestyle events, with Alexander Popov and Yevgeny Sadovyi each winning two events. Sadovyi also won in the relays.
  • Evelyn Ashford won her fourth Olympic gold medal in the 4×100-metre relay, making her one of only four female athletes to have achieved this in history.
  • The young Krisztina Egerszegi of Hungary won three individual swimming gold medals.
  • In women's 200 m breaststroke, Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan won a gold medal at the age of 14 years and six days, making her the youngest-ever gold medalist in swimming competitions at the Olympics.
  • Algerian athlete Hassiba Boulmerka, who was frequently criticized by Muslim groups in Algeria who thought she showed too much of her body when racing, received death threats[20] and was forced to move to Europe to train, won the 1,500 metres, also holding the African women's record in this distance.
  • After being demonstrated in six previous Summer Olympic Games, baseball officially became an Olympic sport. Badminton and women's judo also became part of the Olympic program, while slalom canoeing returned to the Games after a 20-year absence.
  • Roller hockey, Basque pelota, and taekwondo were all demonstrated at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
  • Several of the USA men's volleyball gold medal team from the 1988 Olympics returned to vie for another medal. In the preliminary round, they lost a controversial match to Japan, sparking them to shave their heads in protest. This notably included player Steve Timmons, sacrificing his trademark red flattop for the protest. The U.S. team ultimately progressed to the playoffs and won bronze.
  • Mike Stulce of the United States won the men's shot put, beating the heavily favored Werner Günthör of Switzerland.
  • On the 20th anniversary of the Munich massacre and the 500th anniversary of the Alhambra Decree, Yael Arad became the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal, winning a silver medal in judo. The next day, Oren Smadja became Israel's first male medalist, winning a bronze in the same sport.
  • Derek Redmond of Great Britain tore a hamstring during a 400-meter semi-final heat. As he struggled to finish the race, his father entered the track without credentials and helped him complete the race, to a standing ovation from the crowd.
  • Gail Devers came into the 100 meters hurdles as the favorite. Though her Olympic history shows her winning the 100 meters dash twice, the first time earlier in this Olympics, she primarily made her career as a hurdler. And true to form, Devers had a commanding lead in this race until the final hurdle. Devers came up short and hit the hurdle, foot first, hard, knocking her off balance. She stumbled toward the finish line, falling on the last step, but still finished fifth, .001 out of fourth place. Paraskevi Patoulidou of Greece won the gold medal to even her own disbelief, dropping to her knees on the track when she realized she had won.
  • Jennifer Capriati won the singles tennis competition at the age of 16. She had previously earned a spot in the semifinals of two grand slams at the age of 14.
  • Two gold medals were awarded in solo synchronized swimming after a judge inadvertently entered the score of "8.7" instead of the intended "9.7" in the computerized scoring system for one of Sylvie Fréchette's figures. This error ultimately placed Fréchette second, leaving Kristen Babb-Sprague for the gold medal. Following an appeal, FINA awarded Fréchette a gold medal, replacing her silver medal and leaving the two swimmers both with gold.[21]
  • Indonesia won its first-ever gold medal after winning a silver at 1988 Olympics. Susi Susanti won the gold in badminton women's singles after defeating Bang Soo-hyun in the final round. Alan Budikusuma won the badminton men's singles competition, earning a second gold medal for Indonesia. Several years later, both players married and they received the nickname golden couple or Olympic couple.

Records

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Venues

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Anella Olímpica from above
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Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc
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Palau Sant Jordi
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Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc
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Canal Olímpic de Catalunya

Medals awarded

The 1992 Summer Olympic programme featured 256 events in the following 25 sports:

1992 Summer Olympics Sports Programme

Demonstration sports

Participating National Olympic Committees

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Participants at the 1992 Summer Olympics
  Participating for the first time.
  Having previously participated.
  Not participating.
Yellow circle is host city (Barcelona)
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Number of athletes

A total of 169 nations sent athletes to compete in the 1992 Summer Games.

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, twelve of the fifteen new states chose to form a Unified Team, while the Baltic States of Estonia and Latvia sent their own teams for the first time since 1936, and Lithuania sent its own team for the first time since 1928. Bosnia-Herzegovina competed for the first time as an independent nation after its separation from Socialist Yugoslavia, and Namibia and the unified team of Yemen (previously North and South Yemen) also made their Olympic debuts. Croatia and Slovenia made their first Summer Olympic appearance at these games, having participated at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

The 1992 Summer Olympics notably marked Germany competing as a unified team for the first time since 1964 and the first time since 1936 as a single nation following German reunification. South Africa returned to the Games for the first time in 32 years.

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was banned due to UN sanctions, but individual Yugoslav athletes were allowed to take part as Independent Olympic Participants. Four then-existing National Olympic Committees did not send any athletes to compete: Afghanistan, Brunei, Liberia and Somalia.

More information Participating National Olympic Committees ...
Participating National Olympic Committees
  •  Brunei participated in the Opening Ceremony, but its delegation consisted of only one official. This also occurred in the 1988 Games.[22][23]
  • Afghanistan Afghanistan did not send their athletes to compete, but the country took part in the Parade of Nations. Apparently, its flag was carried by a volunteer from the Barcelona Organising Committee.[23]
  •  Liberia and  Somalia also participated in the Opening Ceremony, but its accredited athletes (five and two, respectively) did not enter to compete.[22][23]
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Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee

9,356 athletes from 169 NOCs

More information IOC Letter Code, Country ...
IOC Letter Code Country Athletes
USA United States545
EUN Unified Team475
GER Germany463
ESP Spain422
GBR Great Britain371
FRA France339
ITA Italy304
CAN Canada295
AUS Australia279
JPN Japan256
CHN China244
KOR South Korea226
HUN Hungary217
TCH Czechoslovakia208
NED Netherlands201
POL Poland201
SWE Sweden187
BRA Brazil182
CUB Cuba176
ROM Romania173
BUL Bulgaria138
NZL New Zealand134
DEN Denmark110
AUT Austria102
MEX Mexico102
SUI Switzerland102
RSA South Africa93
POR Portugal90
FIN Finland88
ARG Argentina84
NOR Norway83
EGY Egypt75
PUR Puerto Rico71
GRE Greece70
BEL Belgium68
PRK North Korea64
IOP Independent Olympic Participants58
IRL Ireland58
NGR Nigeria55
IND India52
COL Colombia49
KEN Kenya49
LTU Lithuania47
THA Thailand46
MAR Morocco44
INA Indonesia42
TUR Turkey41
CRO Croatia39
HKG Hong Kong38
EST Estonia37
IRI Iran36
JAM Jamaica36
ALG Algeria35
SLO Slovenia35
GHA Ghana34
LAT Latvia34
MGL Mongolia33
DOM Dominican Republic32
KUW Kuwait32
TPE Chinese Taipei31
ISR Israel30
ANG Angola28
QAT Qatar28
ISL Iceland27
PAK Pakistan27
PAR Paraguay27
MAS Malaysia26
PHI Philippines26
VEN Venezuela26
ISV Virgin Islands25
GUM Guam22
BER Bermuda20
ETH Ethiopia20
SEN Senegal20
ZIM Zimbabwe19
FIJ Fiji18
BAR Barbados17
CYP Cyprus17
SMR San Marino17
ZAI Zaire17
CRC Costa Rica16
PER Peru16
URU Uruguay16
CAF Central African Republic15
BAH Bahamas14
GUA Guatemala14
SIN Singapore14
ANT Antigua and Barbuda13
BOL Bolivia13
ECU Ecuador13
CIV Ivory Coast13
MAD Madagascar13
MRI Mauritius13
PNG Papua New Guinea13
TUN Tunisia13
UAE United Arab Emirates13
CHI Chile12
LIB Lebanon12
SEY Seychelles11
SLE Sierra Leone11
SRI Sri Lanka11
BRN Bahrain10
BIZ Belize10
BSH Bosnia and Herzegovina10
CAY Cayman Islands10
HON Honduras10
RWA Rwanda10
KSA Saudi Arabia9
TAN Tanzania9
ZAM Zambia9
AND Andorra8
CMR Cameroon8
DJI Djibouti8
GUI Guinea8
IRQ Iraq8
NCA Nicaragua8
SYR Syria8
UGA Uganda8
YEM Yemen8
ALB Albania7
CGO Republic of the Congo7
GEQ Equatorial Guinea7
HAI Haiti7
LIE Liechtenstein7
MDV Maldives7
TRI Trinidad and Tobago7
VIE Vietnam7
BAN Bangladesh6
BEN Benin6
BHU Bhutan6
BOT Botswana6
CHA Chad6
GUY Guyana6
LAO Laos6
LES Lesotho6
LUX Luxembourg6
MLT Malta6
MTN Mauritania6
MOZ Mozambique6
NAM Namibia6
VIN Saint Vincent and the Grenadines6
SUD Sudan6
SWZ Swaziland6
TOG Togo6
VAN Vanuatu6
ARU Aruba5
GAB Gabon5
GAM The Gambia5
LBA Libya5
MLI Mali5
OMA Oman5
PAN Panama5
TGA Tonga5
WSM Western Samoa5
IVB British Virgin Islands4
BUR Burkina Faso4
ESA El Salvador4
GRN Grenada4
JOR Jordan4
MAW Malawi4
MYA Myanmar4
AHO Netherlands Antilles4
ASA American Samoa3
NIG Niger3
COK Cook Islands2
MON Monaco2
NEP Nepal2
SOL Solomon Islands1
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Calendar

All times are in Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
More information July/August 1992, July ...
July/August 1992 July August Events
24th
Fri
25th
Sat
26th
Sun
27th
Mon
28th
Tue
29th
Wed
30th
Thu
31st
Fri
1st
Sat
2nd
Sun
3rd
Mon
4th
Tue
5th
Wed
6th
Thu
7th
Fri
8th
Sat
9th
Sun
CeremoniesOCCC
Aquatics Diving 1 1 1 1 1 39
Swimming 4 5 5 5 6 6
Synchronized swimming 1 1
Water polo 1
Archery 1 1 2 4
Athletics 2 4 4 6 5 6 6 9 1 43
Badminton 4 4
Baseball 1 1
Basketball 1 1 2
Boxing 6 6 12
Canoeing Slalom 2 2 16
Sprint 6 6
Cycling Road cycling 2 1 10
Track cycling 1 1 5
Equestrian 2 1 1 1 1 6
Fencing 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8
Field hockey 1 1 2
Football 1 1
Gymnastics Artistic 1 1 1 1 4 6 15
Rhythmic 1
Handball 2 2
Judo 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 14
Modern pentathlon 2 2
Rowing 7 7 14
Sailing 2 7 1 10
Shooting 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 13
Table tennis 1 1 1 1 4
Tennis 2 2 4
Volleyball 1 1 2
Weightlifting 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 9
Wrestling 3 3 4 3 3 4 20
Daily medal events91214171919223018111212223010257
Cumulative total92135527190112142160171183195217247257
July/August 1992 24th
Fri
25th
Sat
26th
Sun
27th
Mon
28th
Tue
29th
Wed
30th
Thu
31st
Fri
1st
Sat
2nd
Sun
3rd
Mon
4th
Tue
5th
Wed
6th
Thu
7th
Fri
8th
Sat
9th
Sun
Total events
July August
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OCOpening ceremony Event competitions 1Gold medal events CCClosing ceremony

Medal table

The following table reflects the top ten nations in terms of total medals won at the 1992 Games (the host nation is highlighted).

More information Rank, Nation ...
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Unified Team453829112
2 United States373437108
3 Germany33212882
4 China16221654
5 Cuba1461131
6 Spain*137222
7 South Korea1251229
8 Hungary1112730
9 France851629
10 Australia791127
Totals (10 entries)196159169524
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Broadcasting

International signal

In order to guarantee that the international signal was produced objectively and impartially, for the first time in Olympic history, a host broadcaster was expressly created for each of the 1992 Olympic Games instead of delegating responsibility to a national host broadcaster. The Albertville Organizing Committee created the Organisme de radio télévision olympique '92 (ORTO'92) for the Winter Olympics and the Barcelona Organizing Committee created the Ràdio Televisió Olímpica '92 (RTO'92) for the Summer Olympics.[24]

RTO'92 managed the staff and the production and technical resources hired to Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), the Corporació Catalana de Ràdio i Televisió (CCRTV) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). With a workforce of 3,083 people, a permanent radio and television installation at the Olympic Stadium and Palau Sant Jordi, and over 50 mobile units for other venues, RTO'92 provided live coverage of all Summer Olympic sports for the first time ever –except for a few preliminary events–, some 2,800 hours of live television footage, to its international rights-holders. The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) was located at the exhibition halls of Fira de Barcelona in Montjuïc.[24]

NHK and Panasonic developed the 1/2" DX digital system used to record the Games digitally for the first time. Also new were the underwater camera dolly on a track at the bottom of the swimming pool, the underwater microcameras at the bottom of the water polo pool, the periscope camera capable of transmit shots from below and above the water, the overhead camera dolly on a track along the canopy of the Olympic Stadium for the 35 metres (115 ft) high zenithal shot of the athletics track, the stabilized optic gyro-zoom cameras, the super slow motion PAL camera and the microcamera on the high jump bar.[24]

Personalized coverage

To cover the Games, major international broadcasting unions such as the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), the Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI), the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) and the Union of African National Television and Radio Organizations (URTNA), secured the rights for their member broadcasters in their countries. In other countries, broadcast networks secured the rights directly or pooled to secure the rights. The Games were covered by the following television and radio broadcasters:[25]

More information Territory, Television ...
Territory Television Radio
 Algeria ENTV
 Argentina
 Australia Seven Network ABC
 Austria ORF ORF
 Belarus btv
 Belgium
 Brazil
 Bulgaria BNT
 Canada
 Chile
 China CCTV CPBS
 Colombia Canal A
 Croatia HRT HRT
 Cuba ICRT ICRT
 Cyprus CyBC
 Czechoslovakia ČST Czechoslovak Radio
 Denmark DR DR
 Egypt ERTU ERTU
 Estonia ETV
 Finland Yle Yle
 France
 Germany ARD
 Greece ERT ERT
 Hong Kong
 Hungary MTV Magyar Rádió
 Iceland RÚV RÚV
 India Doordarshan
 Indonesia Radio Republik Indonesia
 Iran Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
 Ireland RTÉ RTÉ
 Israel IBA IBA
 Italy RAI RAI
 Japan
 Jordan JRTV
 Lebanon Télé Liban
 Libya LJBC
 Lithuania LTV
 Luxembourg RTL RTL
 Macau TDM
 Malaysia
RTM
 Malta MBA
 Mexico Televisa
 Monaco RMC RMC
 Mongolia MNB
 Morocco RTM RTM
 Netherlands NOS NOS
 New Zealand TVNZ RNZ
 Norway NRK NRK
 Pakistan PTV PBC
 Philippines ABS-CBN
 Poland TVP PR S.A.
 Portugal RTP RDP
 Puerto Rico WIPR
 Romania TVR Radio România
 Russia
 Singapore SBC Channel 12
 Slovenia RTVSLO RTVSLO
 South Africa SABC
 South Korea
 Spain TVE
 Sweden SVT SR
  Switzerland SRG SSR
 Taiwan
 Thailand
 Tunisia ERTT
 Turkey TRT TRT
 United Kingdom BBC One BBC Radio 4
 United States NBC
 Venezuela Venevisión
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HDTV coverage

The 1992 Winter and Summer Olympics were the first in which a comprehensive coverage in high-definition television (HDTV) was attempted. The European HDTV broadcast of the Summer Olympics was managed by the joint venture "Barcelona 1250" created by RTO'92, RTVE, Retevisión and PESA, with the financial support of the European Economic Community and a workforce of over 300 production and technical staff. A total of 225 hours and 45 minutes was broadcast in analog HD-MAC standard in 1,250 lines and 16:9 aspect ratio, with commentary in five languages –Spanish, English, French, German and Italian– in addition to the non-commentary sound track, of eighteen different sports at seventeen venues, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Events from five venues were covered live –80% of the total broadcast time– and other events were recorded for a delayed broadcast. On-screen text and graphics were shown in HDTV for the first time ever. Nearly 700 viewing sites installed throughout Europe, including the fifty HDTV receivers installed in various pavilions at the Seville Universal Exposition, were able to receive the broadcast.[26]

For Japan, NHK also covered the 1992 Summer Olympics in HDTV in their own analog Hi-Vision system.[27]

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Terrorism

The Basque nationalist group ETA attempted to disrupt the Barcelona Games with terrorist attacks. It was already feared beforehand that ETA would use the Olympics to gain publicity for their cause in front of a worldwide audience.[28] As the time of the Games approached,[29] ETA committed attacks in Barcelona and the Catalonia region as a whole, including the deadly 1991 Vic bombing.[30][31] On 10 July 1992, the group offered a two-month truce covering the Olympics in exchange for negotiations, which the Spanish government rejected.[32] However, the Games went ahead successfully without an attack.[33]

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Effect on the city

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Frank Gehry's Fish sculpture in front of the Hotel Arts (left) and the Torre Mapfre (right) in the Olympic Village neighbourhood

The celebration of the 1992 Olympic Games had an enormous impact on the urban culture and outward projection of Barcelona. The Games provided billions of dollars for infrastructure investments, which are considered to have improved the quality of life in the city, and its attraction for investment and tourism.[34] Barcelona became one of the most visited cities in Europe after Paris, London, and Rome.[35][36]

Barcelona's nomination for the 1992 Summer Olympics sparked the implementation of an ambitious plan for urban transformation that had already been developed previously.[37] Barcelona was opened to the sea with the construction of the Olympic Village and Olympic Port in Poblenou. New centers were created, and modern sports facilities were built in the Olympic zones of Montjuïc, Diagonal, and Vall d'Hebron; hotels were also refurbished and new ones built. The construction of ring roads around the city helped to reduce traffic density, and El Prat airport was modernized and expanded with the opening of two new terminals.[38]

Cost and cost overrun

The Oxford Olympics Study[39] estimates the direct costs of the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics to be US$9.7 billion (expressed in 2015 U.S. dollars) with a cost overrun of 266%. This includes only sports-related costs, that is: (i) operational costs incurred by the organizing committee for the purpose of staging the Games, e.g., expenditures for technology, direct transportation, workforce, administration, security, catering, ceremonies, and medical services; and (ii) direct capital costs incurred by the host city and country or private investors to build the competition venues, the Olympic village, international broadcast center, media and press center, and similar structures required to host the Games. Costs excluded from the study are indirect capital and infrastructure costs, such as for road, rail, or airport infrastructure, or for hotel upgrades or other business investment incurred in preparation for the Games.[39][40]

The costs for Barcelona 1992 may be compared with those of London 2012, which cost US$15 billion with a cost overrun of 76%, and those of Rio 2016 which cost US$4.6 billion with a cost overrun of 51%. The average cost for the Summer Olympics since 1960 is US$5.2 billion, with an average cost overrun of 176%.[39][40]

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Songs and themes

There were two main musical themes for the 1992 Games. The first one was "Barcelona", a classical crossover song composed five years earlier by Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran; Mercury was an admirer of lyric soprano Montserrat Caballé, both recorded the official theme as a duet. Due to Mercury's death eight months earlier, the duo was unable to perform the song together during the opening ceremony. A recording of the song instead played over a travelogue of the city at the start of the opening ceremony, seconds before the official countdown.[41][42] "Amigos Para Siempre" (Friends for Life) was the other musical theme and it was official theme song of the 1992 Summer Olympics. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black, and sung by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras during the closing ceremonies.

Ryuichi Sakamoto composed and conducted some musical pieces at the opening ceremony musical score.[43] The Opening Olympic fanfare was composed by Angelo Badalamenti and with orchestrations by Joseph Turrin.

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Mascot

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Cobi

The official mascot was Cobi, a Catalan sheepdog in cubist style designed by Javier Mariscal.[44] He was widely featured in merchandising products and starred his own animated television series, The Cobi Troupe.[45]

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Corporate image and identity

A renewal in Barcelona's image and corporate identity could be seen in the publication of posters, commemorative coins, stamps minted by the FNMT in Madrid, and the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Official Commemorative Medals, designed and struck in Barcelona.[46]

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See also

References

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Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.

Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.