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(Redirected from Summer Olympics of 1992) Multi-sport event in Barcelona, Spain "Barcelona 1992" redirects here. For the Summer Paralympics, see 1992 Summer Paralympics.

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)
Events256 in 25 sports (34 disciplines)
Opening25 July 1992
Closing9 August 1992
Opened byJuan Carlos I
King of Spain
Closed byJuan Antonio Samaranch
President of the International Olympic Committee
CauldronAntonio Rebollo
StadiumEstadi Olímpic de Montjuïc
Summer← Seoul 1988Atlanta 1996 → Winter← Albertville 1992Lillehammer 1994 → 1992 Summer Paralympics
Olympic rings
Part of a series on
1992 Summer Olympics

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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

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. New Delhi, India, had announced a bid for the games, but withdrew in March 1986. 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.

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

1992 Summer Olympics bidding results
City Country Round
1 2 3
Barcelona  Spain 29 37 47
Paris  France 19 20 23
Belgrade  SFR Yugoslavia 13 11 5
Brisbane  Australia 11 9 10
Birmingham  Great Britain 8 8 —
Amsterdam  Netherlands 5 — —

Highlights

See also: 1992 Summer Olympics opening ceremony and 1992 Summer Olympics closing ceremony
The Olympic cauldron lit during the Games in Montjuïc
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. 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Fermín Cacho won the 1,500 m in his home country, earning Spain's first-ever Olympic gold medal in a running event.
  • 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 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.
  • 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

Main article: World and Olympic records set at the 1992 Summer Olympics

Venues

Main article: Venues of the 1992 Summer Olympics
Anella Olímpica from above
Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc
Palau Sant Jordi
Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc
Canal Olímpic de Catalunya

Medals awarded

Main article: List of 1992 Summer Olympics medal winners

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

1992 Summer Olympics Sports Programme

Demonstration sports

Participating National Olympic Committees

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

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.
  • 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.
  •  Liberia and  Somalia also participated in the Opening Ceremony, but its accredited athletes (five and two, respectively) did not enter to compete.

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee

9,356 athletes from 169 NOCs

IOC Letter Code Country Athletes
USA  United States 545
EUN  Unified Team 475
GER  Germany 463
ESP  Spain 422
GBR  Great Britain 371
FRA  France 339
ITA  Italy 304
CAN  Canada 295
AUS  Australia 279
JPN  Japan 256
CHN  China 244
KOR  South Korea 226
HUN  Hungary 217
TCH  Czechoslovakia 208
NED  Netherlands 201
POL  Poland 201
SWE  Sweden 187
BRA  Brazil 182
CUB  Cuba 176
ROM  Romania 173
BUL  Bulgaria 138
NZL  New Zealand 134
DEN  Denmark 110
AUT  Austria 102
MEX  Mexico 102
SUI  Switzerland 102
RSA  South Africa 93
POR  Portugal 90
FIN  Finland 88
ARG  Argentina 84
NOR  Norway 83
EGY  Egypt 75
PUR  Puerto Rico 71
GRE  Greece 70
BEL  Belgium 68
PRK  North Korea 64
IOP  Independent Olympic Participants 58
IRL  Ireland 58
NGR  Nigeria 55
IND  India 52
COL  Colombia 49
KEN  Kenya 49
LTU  Lithuania 47
THA  Thailand 46
MAR  Morocco 44
INA  Indonesia 42
TUR  Turkey 41
CRO  Croatia 39
HKG  Hong Kong 38
EST  Estonia 37
IRI  Iran 36
JAM  Jamaica 36
ALG  Algeria 35
SLO  Slovenia 35
GHA  Ghana 34
LAT  Latvia 34
MGL  Mongolia 33
DOM  Dominican Republic 32
KUW  Kuwait 32
TPE  Chinese Taipei 31
ISR  Israel 30
ANG  Angola 28
QAT  Qatar 28
ISL  Iceland 27
PAK  Pakistan 27
PAR  Paraguay 27
MAS  Malaysia 26
PHI  Philippines 26
VEN  Venezuela 26
ISV  Virgin Islands 25
GUM  Guam 22
BER  Bermuda 20
ETH  Ethiopia 20
SEN  Senegal 20
ZIM  Zimbabwe 19
FIJ  Fiji 18
BAR  Barbados 17
CYP  Cyprus 17
SMR  San Marino 17
ZAI  Zaire 17
CRC  Costa Rica 16
PER  Peru 16
URU  Uruguay 16
CAF  Central African Republic 15
BAH  Bahamas 14
GUA  Guatemala 14
SIN  Singapore 14
ANT  Antigua and Barbuda 13
BOL  Bolivia 13
ECU  Ecuador 13
CIV  Ivory Coast 13
MAD  Madagascar 13
MRI  Mauritius 13
PNG  Papua New Guinea 13
TUN  Tunisia 13
UAE  United Arab Emirates 13
CHI  Chile 12
LIB  Lebanon 12
SEY  Seychelles 11
SLE  Sierra Leone 11
SRI  Sri Lanka 11
BRN  Bahrain 10
BIZ  Belize 10
BSH  Bosnia and Herzegovina 10
CAY  Cayman Islands 10
HON  Honduras 10
RWA  Rwanda 10
KSA  Saudi Arabia 9
TAN  Tanzania 9
ZAM  Zambia 9
AND  Andorra 8
CMR  Cameroon 8
DJI  Djibouti 8
GUI  Guinea 8
IRQ  Iraq 8
NCA  Nicaragua 8
SYR  Syria 8
UGA  Uganda 8
YEM  Yemen 8
ALB  Albania 7
CGO  Republic of the Congo 7
GEQ  Equatorial Guinea 7
HAI  Haiti 7
LIE  Liechtenstein 7
MDV  Maldives 7
TRI  Trinidad and Tobago 7
VIE  Vietnam 7
BAN  Bangladesh 6
BEN  Benin 6
BHU  Bhutan 6
BOT  Botswana 6
CHA  Chad 6
GUY  Guyana 6
LAO  Laos 6
LES  Lesotho 6
LUX  Luxembourg 6
MLT  Malta 6
MTN  Mauritania 6
MOZ  Mozambique 6
NAM  Namibia 6
VIN  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6
SUD  Sudan 6
SWZ  Swaziland 6
TOG  Togo 6
VAN  Vanuatu 6
ARU  Aruba 5
GAB  Gabon 5
GAM  The Gambia 5
LBA  Libya 5
MLI  Mali 5
OMA  Oman 5
PAN  Panama 5
TGA  Tonga 5
WSM  Western Samoa 5
IVB  British Virgin Islands 4
BUR  Burkina Faso 4
ESA  El Salvador 4
GRN  Grenada 4
JOR  Jordan 4
MAW  Malawi 4
MYA  Myanmar 4
AHO  Netherlands Antilles 4
ASA  American Samoa 3
NIG  Niger 3
COK  Cook Islands 2
MON  Monaco 2
NEP  Nepal 2
SOL  Solomon Islands 1

Calendar

All times are in Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
OC Opening ceremony ● Event competitions 1 Gold medal events CC Closing ceremony
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
Ceremonies OC CC —
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 events 9 12 14 17 19 19 22 30 18 11 12 12 22 30 10 257
Cumulative total 9 21 35 52 71 90 112 142 160 171 183 195 217 247 257
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

Medal table

Main article: 1992 Summer Olympics 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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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:

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

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.

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

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. As the time of the Games approached, ETA committed attacks in Barcelona and the Catalonia region as a whole, including the deadly 1991 Vic bombing. On 10 July 1992, the group offered a two-month truce covering the Olympics in exchange for negotiations, which the Spanish government rejected. However, the Games went ahead successfully without an attack.

Effect on the city

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. Barcelona became one of the most visited cities in Europe after Paris, London, and Rome.

Barcelona's nomination for the 1992 Summer Olympics sparked the implementation of an ambitious plan for urban transformation that had already been developed previously. 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.

Cost and cost overrun

The Oxford Olympics Study 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.

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%.

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. "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. The Opening Olympic fanfare was composed by Angelo Badalamenti and with orchestrations by Joseph Turrin.

Mascot

Main article: Cobi and Petra
Cobi

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

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.

See also

References

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