ATR First: Barcelona Celebrates 25th

(ATR) The 25th anniversary of the 1992 Olympics next week was almost going to be forgotten.

The Barcelona city government, led by a mayor who was a teenager at the time of the Games, initially said it wanted the anniversary to be marked in a low key manner.

But a near revolt months ago by some of the 38,000 volunteers who served during the Olympics convinced the leftist government of the city to expand the celebration.

Former CEO Josep Miquel Abad along with a number of medalists from ’92 were part of the campaign. Pascal Maragall, the mayor who led the city through the Olympics, was another voice who could not be ignored.

"The Olympics changed the city and placed Barcelona on the map," says Maragall, now 76 and suffering Alzheimer's disease.

Current mayor Ada Colau will preside over the July 25 tribute for Barcelona with IOC President Thomas Bach and International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven.

A reenactment of the torch relay will end with a big party in Placa Catalunya, one of the main public spaces during the Olympics. The niece of Maragall,Elisabeth Maragall, a medalist from Barcelona will be the first torch bearer.

Another key figure from the Barcelona Olympics is the late IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, a lifelong resident. He was recognized at an event at the Collegi de Economistes de Catalunya this week.

Journalist Pedro Palacios, press chief of COOB, the 1992 organizing committee, hailed the IOC leader as "a universal Barcelona citizen" but notes that he has gained worldwide recognition except in the place where he was born.

"It is unfair what Barcelona is doing with the legacy of Samaranch," he said this week at an event to launch the Samaranch tribute. Sitting nearby was the son of Samaranch, Juan Antonio Jr., now an IOC vice president.

The Barcelona Olympics took place from July 25 to August 9 with 172 NOCs participating, 9959 athletes competing. The Games were the first in 20 years without a team boycotting. They were the first held following the dissolution of the U.S.S.R.

The 8th Paralympics, organized a month later, were the first to be held in conjunction with the Olympic host.

Written by Ed Hula.

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