00:00 These four kilometers of waterfront sporting facilities are quintessential to the Barcelona
00:05 tourists and residents know and love.
00:08 But before the 1992 Olympics came to the Catalan capital, this coastline had an entirely different
00:14 identity.
00:15 "Where those blocks of flats are now, there was a row of factories, metals, chemicals,
00:22 cars.
00:23 It was as though the city was turning its back on the sea.
00:25 It's a noticeable change, no?
00:27 It's a beautiful area now."
00:32 The 1992 Games now belong to the city's heritage.
00:35 Even the under-30s talk with nostalgia of their city abuzz and of the mania around Michael
00:41 Jordan's basketball dream team.
00:43 But what's also kept the Games alive is the municipal sporting legacy.
00:49 The diving pool is now a public swimming pool and bar.
00:52 The Olympic Stadium isn't home to any one club, but regularly hosts sporting events
00:57 and is among the city's premier concert venues.
01:00 But it's not just the wealth of sporting infrastructure from 1992 that has made Barcelona one of the
01:06 world's sportiest cities.
01:09 "What changed in the city was how they promoted sports in general.
01:18 Such as the new facilities, all sports."
01:23 Could it be the same for Paris?
01:25 It's hard to imagine such a transformation.
01:28 This Barcelona organisational alumnus believes in Project Paris 2024.
01:33 "Building the Olympic Village in Saint Denis won't have been easy, but it will allow for
01:39 the regeneration of the town and to better integrate it into greater Paris."
01:46 The 1992 Olympics were a catalyst for urban regeneration and hosts ever since have promised
01:52 the same.
01:53 But Barcelona remains unparalleled, others going over budget or building facilities for
01:58 the occasion only to abandon them later.
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