The organizers of the Sailing America’s Cup confirmed yesterday that this competition, the Formula 1 of the sea, will be held in 2024 in Barcelona. The third sporting event with the greatest economic impact in the city that hosts it, after the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Cup, thus becomes a golden opportunity to put Barcelona back in the international tourism showcase. And that goes beyond the direct impact that the mobilization, for two years, of tens of thousands of participants and journalists and, during the three months of competition, of visitors from all over the world will have on the city’s hospitality and nautical sector.
The America’s Cup is organized by the winning yacht club of the previous edition, which faces the winner of previous qualifying rounds between teams from around the world that are also held in the same waters as the final regattas. You can do it in your country or choose an attractive foreign offer, as happened twice in Valencia when the host was Switzerland or in this one, with the winners of New Zealand looking for an alternative to a previous edition in Auckland marred by covid. Barcelona has presented a serious candidacy which has been chosen against competitors such as Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Malaga or Cork (Ireland).
The approach with which the organization of the Copa América has been approached, with a large part of the port facilities already prepared to host the competition, or in need of really moderate investments or already foreseen within the renovation plans of the maritime façade, it has everything so that the appointment supposes a net benefit for the city. Barcelona does not have the need to undertake an onerous investment like the one assumed by València in a very different economic and political context, with palpable urban revenues but a multimillion-dollar bill that It is still controversial today. There are lessons to follow, to avoid mistakes, and others to apply, such as the one from the Barcelona Olympics. No, in this case, with regard to taking advantage of the appointment to invest in opening the city to the sea (this work was already done in 1992 and it is the legacy that has made the current challenge possible), but yes in continuity of another great success of that appointment from 30 years ago: cooperation between all public administrations of different political signs and public-private cooperation.
In this way the image is exemplary that offered the act in which it was officially announced that Barcelona’s candidacy to host the sporting event was the chosen one, with the presence of the ‘president’ Pere Aragones and the ‘conseller’ Roger Torrent, the mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau and the deputy mayor James Collboni, and the president of the Port, Damia Calvet. In the antipodes of the trips between parties and administrations that have hindered other projects that would have been no less beneficial for Barcelona and Catalonia. Also exemplary is the decisive role played by a private entity devoted to the international economic promotion of the city, BarcelonaGlobal, with its president Aurora Cata, and the different private operators that have endorsed the candidacy.
Beyond the tangible, yesterday’s announcement has an intangible value but no less valuable. A dose of self-esteem for a city demoralized after too many episodes with disheartening endings.