Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys

The Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. It was refurbished for the 1992 Olympic Games.

The stadium opened on 20th May 1929 with a rugby match between the Spanish and Italian squads and a football match between the Catalan national side and the English team, Bolton Wanderers. This major sporting facility was used until the 1955 Mediterranean Games, after which it entered a state of decline. When the International Olympic Committee chose Barcelona to host the 1992 Olympic Games, a team of architects made up of Vittorio Gregotti, Frederic Correa, Alfons Milà, Joan Margarit and Carles Buxadé, was commissioned to completely refurbish the stadium. The outer walls were preserved but new stands were built inside, seating up to 56,000 people.

Landmark events such as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic and Paralympic Games and the athletics competitions were held in this venue, as the Museu Olímpic i de l'Esport across the road from the stadium reminds us. It is now rated as a five-star venue by UEFA, which entitles it to host top-level European matches. The stadium is named after Lluís Companys, the president of the Catalan government during the Spanish Civil War.