1992_Summer_Olympics
| Games of the XXV Olympiad | |
 |
|
| Host city | Barcelona, Spain |
|---|---|
| Motto | Amigos Para Siempre (Friends Forever) |
| Nations participating | 169 |
| Athletes participating | 9,356 (6,652 men, 2,704 women) |
| Events | 286 in 32 sports |
| Opening ceremony | July 25 |
| Closing ceremony | August 9 |
| Officially opened by | King Juan Carlos I of Spain |
| Athlete's Oath | Luis Doreste Blanco |
| Judge's Oath | Eugeni Asensio |
| Olympic Torch | Antonio Rebollo (paralympic archer) |
| Stadium | Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys |
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in 1992.
Contents |
Host city selection
Barcelona, the birthplace of then-IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, was selected over Amsterdam, Belgrade, Birmingham, Brisbane and Paris in Lausanne, Switzerland, on October 17, 1986, during the 91st IOC Session. It had bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics, losing out to Berlin. The chart's information below comes from the International Olympic Committee Vote History web page.
| 1992 Summer Olympics bidding results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOC Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | ||
| Barcelona |  Spain |
29 | 37 | 47 | ||
| Paris |  France |
19 | 20 | 23 | ||
| Brisbane |  Australia |
11 | 9 | 10 | ||
| Belgrade |  Yugoslavia |
13 | 11 | 5 | ||
| Birmingham |  United Kingdom |
8 | 8 | - | ||
| Amsterdam |  Netherlands |
5 | - | - | ||
Highlights
- The Olympic flame cauldron was lit by the Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo, who shot an arrow lit by the last torch runner into it.
- South Africa was allowed to compete in the Olympics for the first time since the 1960 Games, after a long suspension for its apartheid policy. White South African runner Elana Meyer and black Ethiopian runner Derartu Tulu fought a close race in the 10,000 m (won by Tulu) and then ran a victory lap hand in hand.[1]
- Following its reunification in 1990, Germany sent a single, unified Olympic team for the first time since the 1964 Games.
- As the Soviet Union had been dissolved in 1991, the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania sent their own teams for the first time since 1936. The other Soviet republics competed under the name "Unified Team."
- The break-up of SFR Yugoslavia led to the Olympic debuts of Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to United Nations sanctions, FR Yugoslavian athletes were not allowed to participate with their own team. However, individual athletes could compete under the Olympic flag as Independent Olympic Participants.
- In men's artistic gymnastics, Vitaly Scherbo from Belarus, representing the Unified Team, won six gold medals, including four on a single day. Five of the six golds were in individual events, tying Eric Heiden's record for individual gold medals at a single Olympics (Michael Phelps would tie this record in 2008).
- In women's artistic gymnastics, Tatiana Gutsu took gold in the All-Around competition edging the United States' Shannon Miller.
- In the diving competitions, held in the view of the Sagrada Família, Fu Mingxia won the high dive event at the age of 13.
- Russian swimmers dominated the freestyle events, with Alexander Popov and Yevgeny Sadovyi each winning two events (Sadovyi won a third with in the relays).
- Evelyn Ashford won her fourth Olympic gold medal in the 4x100 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 metres breaststroke, Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan won a gold medal at age of 14 years and 6 days, became the youngest gold medalist in swimming competitions at the Olympics.
- After being demonstrated six times, baseball became an Olympic sport, with Cuba winning the gold medal, Chinese Taipei winning silver, and Japan, the bronze.
- Badminton and women's judo became part of the Olympic programme, while slalom canoeing returned to the Games after a 20-year absence.
- Roller hockey became a demonstration sport in the 1992 Games. Argentina won the gold medal. Basque pelota and taekwondo were also demonstration sports.
- Chris Boardman won the 4000M individual pursuit track cycling event for Great Britain.
- Linford Christie finally won gold in the 100m, at 32 years old the oldest champion of the Olympic 100m.
- Several of the U.S. men's volleyball gold medal team from the 1988 Olympics returned to vie for another medal. In the first round, they lost a controversial match to Japan, sparking them to shave their heads in protest (including Steve Timmons, sacrificing his trademark red flattop for the protest).
- Mike Stulce of the USA won the men's shot put, beating heavy 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 400m 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.
- Sergey Bubka had won gold in the men's pole vault in Seoul 1988, setting an Olympic record. He was favored to easily take the gold again, but he left Barcelona empty-handed, failing to make any height in the pole vault. He failed in all his attempts. During the post-Olympic season, Bubka would set his 31st and 32nd world records.
- In basketball, the admittance of professional players led to the formation of the "Dream Team" of the United States, featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and other NBA stars.
Venues
- Olympic Ring in Montjuïc:
- Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc - opening/closing ceremonies, athletics.
- Palau Sant Jordi - artistic gymnastics, volleyball finals and handball finals
- Piscines Bernat Picornell - swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo final
- Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc - diving and water polo
- INEFC - wrestling
- Sants-Montjuïc area:
- Palau dels Esports de Barcelona - rhythmic gymnastics and volleyball
- Palau de la Metalúrgia - fencing
- Pavelló de l'Espanya Industrial - weightlifting
- Olympic area of Vall d'Hebron:
- Velòdrom d’Horta - track cycling
- Camp Olímpic de Tir amb Arc - archery
- Pavelló de la Vall d’Hebron - volleyball and basque pelota (demonstration)
- Centre Municipal de Tennis Vall d’Hebron - tennis
- Olympic area in the Diagonal:
- Camp Nou - football
- Palau Blaugrana - judo, taekwondo (demonstration) and roller hockey final (demonstration)
- Estadi de Sarrià - football
- Real Club de Polo - equestrian events
- Olympic Village area in Poblenou:
- Port Olímpic - sailing
- Complex Esportiu Municipal Mar Bella - badminton
- Poliesportiu Estació del Nord - table tennis
- Other venues:
- Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona (Badalona) - basketball
- Pavelló dels Països Catalans (Badalona) - boxing
- Palau d’Esports de Granollers (Granollers) - handball
- Lake of Banyoles (Banyoles) - rowing
- Camp de Tir Olímpic de Mollet (Mollet del Vallès) - shooting
- Sant Sadurní d'Anoia - road cycling
- Camp Municipal Feixa Llarga (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat) - baseball
- Camp Municipal de Beisbol de Viladecans (Viladecans) - baseball
- Canal Olímpic de Catalunya (Castelldefels) - canoeing/kayak (flatwater)
- Parc Olímpic del Segre (La Seu d'Urgell) - canoeing/kayak (slalom)
- Club Hípic El Montanyà (Seva) - equestrian events
- Circuit de Catalunya (Montmeló) - road cycling (team time trial)
- Estadi Olímpic (Terrassa) - field hockey
- Estadi de la Nova Creu Alta (Sabadell) - football
- La Romareda (Zaragoza) - football
- Estadio Mestalla (Valencia) - football
Medals awarded
See the medal winners, ordered by sport:
Demonstration sports
Participating nations
169 nations sent athletes to compete in these Games. With the Collapse of the Soviet Union, twelve states formed a Unified Team, while the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had their own teams. Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina competed as independent nations after separation from Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was banned due to UN sanctions, but individual Yugoslav athletes were allowed to take part as Independent Olympic Participants.
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Medal count
These are the top medal-collecting nations for the 1992 Games. (Host country is highlighted):
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Unified Team |
45 | 38 | 29 | 112 |
| 2 |  United States |
37 | 34 | 37 | 108 |
| 3 |  Germany |
33 | 21 | 28 | 82 |
| 4 |  China |
16 | 22 | 16 | 54 |
| 5 |  Cuba |
14 | 6 | 11 | 31 |
| 6 | Spain |
13 | 7 | 2 | 22 |
| 7 |  South Korea |
12 | 5 | 12 | 29 |
| 8 |  Hungary |
11 | 12 | 7 | 30 |
| 9 | France |
8 | 5 | 16 | 29 |
| 10 | Australia |
7 | 9 | 11 | 27 |
Effect on the city
The celebration of the 1992 Olympic Games had an enormous impact on the urbanism and external projection of the city of Barcelona. The Games enabled billionaire inversions in infrastructures that are considered to have improved the quality of life and attraction of the city for investments and tourism[2], making Barcelona become one of the most visited cities in Europe.[3]
The nomination of the city as organizer was the spark that led to the application of a previously elaborated ambitious urban plan[4]. Barcelona was opened to the sea with the construction of the Olympic Village and Olympic Port in Poblenou, a decayed neighbourhood. Various new centres were created, and modern sports facilities were built in the Olympic zones of Montjuïc, Diagonal, and Vall d'Hebron. The construction of ring roads around the city helped reduce the density of the traffic, and the El Prat airport was modernized and expanded as two new terminals were opened. New hotels were built and some old ones were refurbished.
Songs and themes
There were two main musical themes of the 1992 Games. One was "Barcelona", composed five years earlier by Freddie Mercury and sung as a duet with Montserrat Caballé. The duo were to have performed the song during the opening ceremony, but due to Mercury's untimely death eight months earlier, the song's recording was played over a travelogue of the city at the start of the opening ceremony. The other was "Amigos Para Siempre" (Friends for Life), written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black, and sung by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras during the closing ceremonies.
Mascot
The official mascot was Cobi, a Catalan sheepdog in cubist style designed by Javier Mariscal.
References
- ^ http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/innovations_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1992
- ^ Brunet i Cid, Ferran. "The economic impact of the Barcelona Olympic Games 1986-2004". Autonomous University of Barcelona. http://olympicstudies.uab.es/pdf/wp084_eng.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
- ^ Payne, Bob. "The Olympics Effect". msnbc.com]]. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26042517. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
- ^ Brunet i Cid, Ferran. "An economic analysis of the Barcelona'92 Olympic Games:resources, financing and impact". Autonomous University of Barcelona. http://olympicstudies.uab.es/pdf/od006_eng.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
See also
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 1992 Summer Olympics |
- IOC Site on 1992 Summer Olympics
- Barcelona Olympic Foundation
- Official Report of the Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona 1992
- Olympic Review 1992 - Official results
- Barcelona Olympic Stadium
- Barcelona 1992 Olympic pins (broken link)
| Preceded by Seoul |
Summer Olympic Games Host City XXV Olympiad (1992) |
Succeeded by Atlanta |
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