Ceremonies
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Barcelona’92 Olympic Games were the highpoints of the XXVth Olympiad in terms of their artistic content and their conceptual design, the aim of which was to present the city to the world.
On 25 July 1992, the Estadi Olímpic (Olympic Stadium) hosted the opening ceremony with an audience of 3.5 billion viewers across the globe. The bright colours and Mediterranean values marked the festive nature of the opening of the Olympic Games. The scripts and execute the shows were elaborated by several Barcelona-based agencies that later merged in Ovideo-Bassat-Sport SA, being 2% property of COOB’92. During the ceremony, the human mosaic forming the word “Hola” was particularly noteworthy. Also ingrained in the collective memory is the ship transporting the sages, warriors and athletes who, despite the setbacks and with the help of Hercules, managed to arrive safely at their destination. With a very Mediterranean message, this show, staged just before the parade of athletes, was performed by the theatre company La Fura dels Baus and was aesthetically inspired by Gaudí’s modernist mosaics.
The subsequent arrival of the Olympic Torch and the lighting of the cauldron by the Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo was also one of the most memorable moments. With a total of 27 heads of state present at the ceremony, its success was echoed in the fantastic reception that it had in the international media the day after the opening.
Regarding the closing ceremony held on 9 August 1992, with around 3.2 billion viewers across the globe, the goodbye message was Amics per Sempre/Amigos para Siempre/Friends for Life, and the festive ending was a combination of Catalan rumba (a genre of music developed in Barcelona’s Romani community) performed by Los Manolos and Peret, and spontaneous images of happiness among the athletes and dignitaries present at the stadium.
Furthermore, the VIP box seat was, during the opening (op) and closing (cl) ceremonies, a small representation of the UN. Many heads of state and government from most continents attended both Olympic ceremonies at the Olympic Stadium (source: Official Report).
Selected resources
The Creativity of the Barcelona’92 Olympic Ceremonies
WebsiteBassat, Lluís (1996): “The Creativity of the Barcelona’92 Olympic Ceremonies”, a Miquel de Moragas, John MacAllon i Montserrrat Llinés (eds.): Olympic ceremonies: historical continuity and cultural exchange (International Symposium on Olympic Ceremonies, Barcelona-Lausanne, November, 1995). Lausana: Comitè Internacional Olímpic, pàg-. 241-250.
L'experiència dels darrers vint anys : una anàlisi comparativa de les cerimònies olímpiques
WebsiteMacAloon, John (1991): “L’experiència dels darrers vint anys : una anàlisi comparativa de les cerimònies olímpiques”, Papers : revista de sociologia, N. 38 (1991) p. 33-49, ISSN 0210-2862
Les cerimònies olímpiques
WebsiteHuerga, Manuel; Sol, Josep (1991): “Les cerimònies olímpiques”, a Jocs olímpics, comunicació i intercanvis culturals : l’experiència dels últims quatre jocs olímpics d’estiu : simposi internacional, Palau de Pedralbes, Barcelona, 3-5 d’abril de 1991. Bellaterra: Centre d’Estudis Olímpics i de l’Esport, pàg. 204-205.
La torxa i les cerimònies
COOB’92 (1992): “La torxa i les cerimònies” a Memòria oficial dels Jocs de la XXVa Olimpíada: Barcelona 1992. Barcelona: COOB’92, vol. 2, pàg. 33-52.
Programa de la cerimònia d'inauguració = Programa de la ceremonia de inauguración = Programme de la cérémonie d'ouverture = Opening ceremony programme
COOB’92 (1992): Programa de la cerimònia d’inauguració = Programa de la ceremonia de inauguración = Programme de la cérémonie d’ouverture = Opening ceremony programme. Barcelona: COOB’92.
La imagen de Barcelona, Catalunya, España y Europa en Barcelona’92: anàlisis de la ceremonia inaugural de los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992 en 28 televisiones internacionales.
Moragas I Spà, Miquel de (1995): La imagen de Barcelona, Catalunya, España y Europa en Barcelona’92: anàlisis de la ceremonia inaugural de los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992 en 28 televisiones internacionales. Bellaterra: Centre d’Estudis Olímpics i de l’Esport.
Programa de la cerimònia de clausura = Programa de la ceremonia de clausura = Programme de la cérémonie de clôture = Closing ceremony programme
COOB’92 (1992): Programa de la cerimònia de clausura = Programa de la ceremonia de clausura = Programme de la cérémonie de clôture = Closing ceremony programme. Barcelona: COOB’92.
In the repository
In the Municipal Contemporary Archive, you can consult the administrative and management documentation generated on this topic by the Organising Committee Barcelona’92, SA (COOB’92), Holding Olímpic SA (HOLSA), Anella Olímpica de Montjuïc SA (AOMSA) (Olympic ring), Vila Olímpica SA (VOSA) (Olympic village) and the Institut Municipal de Promoció Urbanística SA (IMPUSA) (municipal Institute of urban development).
If you need further information on the collection, read the collection guide.
In the library
In the libraries of the study centres of the Barcelona Olympic Foundation (FBO) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) you can find the selection of listed documents and other bibliographic materials on the subject.
If you are interested in knowing more about our Olympic collection, you can consult the Union Catalogue of Catalan Universities (UAB collection) or contact us by e-mail (FBO collection).
Sports in pictures
If you are interested in images of the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Barcelona’92, the Image Service of the Olympic Foundation of Barcelona will help you identify the images that satisfy your needs.
The Foundation manages the official image archive of the Barcelona’92 Games. You can contact them by email to request more information about the services provided and the collection of images. In this page, we offer a selection of images on the event.
