At the epicenter of the Barcelona edition of the America's Cup, the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation yesterday presented the strategy to turn the city and Catalonia into world benchmarks in the nautical field, through sport and sustainability, with the impetus of the blue economy, innovation and science, as well as education and the promotion of the culture of the sea. From this public-private entity that coordinates all the administrations involved in the organization, it is affirmed that "if in 1992, with the arrival of the Olympic Games, we demonstrated that the city and the territory could open up to the world, the celebration of the 37th edition of this sporting event in Barcelona in 2024 is the opportunity to demonstrate the international potential of the territory". They consider the celebration of this competition as a historical milestone and highlight the economic impact it is estimated to have, exceeding 1.2 billion euros.
The general director of the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation, Ignasi Armengol, stated that what could seem complicated, getting all the administrations to agree, ended up being "easy". The president of the port of Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó, went so far as to say that "the America's Cup is one of the few things in the country that generates a brutally transversal consensus". The event, at the moment, has already mobilized 106 million euros in Port Vell, an investment made in equal parts by the public and private sectors, according to Salvadó.
The president of Barcelona Capital Nàutica and Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat, Roger Torrent, stated that they are working to make this edition of the America's Cup "the best in history" and have a legacy and a journey rear. He assured that the economic impact will be "enormous". In fact, a study by Pompeu Fabra University has estimated that it will exceed 1.2 billion euros (0.5% of Catalonia's GDP in 2022) and that around 19,000 full-time jobs will be created. Laia Bonet, third deputy mayor and vice-president of the foundation, remarked that "Barcelona wants to be the nautical capital of the world and also the capital of the blue economy". And, in his first intervention as a delegate of the central government in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto was convinced that the third event in the world of sport with the most audiences "will once again put Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain at the center of the world".
At the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation, they want citizens to get involved, emulating the experience of volunteering at the Olympic Games. They are convinced that "the role of the population in an event like this is vitally important" and that "their participation, their enthusiasm and their support, already known since 1992, will once again be the key". The organization recalls that the Catalan capital already demonstrated 31 years ago its ability to "grow and overcome itself by hosting an event of such significance". Since then, he adds, the city "has not stopped being at the forefront, hosting all kinds of sports competitions, concerts and events". The corporate director of America's Cup Event Barcelona, company organizing the event, Albert Vilumara, pointed out that "the America's Cup cannot be understood without the involvement of people".
At the same time, the foundation affirms, "in Catalonia we are people of the sea" and "the historical and cultural link of the territory with the sea is undeniable". From the foundation it is added that "we find the mark of the territory in traditions, gastronomy, art and literature, but above all in the people". From Barcelona Capital Nàutica, which has organized regattas of international relevance such as the Barcelona World Race, the NY-BCN or the Europe Warm Up, they want to continue this legacy. In addition, they state that "without the sea there is no sailing". They work to promote the blue economy, the decarbonisation of pleasure craft and the increase of society's awareness of the marine ecosystem and the protection it needs. And they have promoted an exhibition that will tour Catalonia to explain the history of sailing, the culture of the sea, the blue economy, the blue legacy and the America's Cup.
The foundation, under the slogan A sea open to everyone, is developing a program for the generation of synergies between the ports of the entire territory. It will promote a Catalan inter-university competition to create small-scale boats controlled by radio control. In addition, from April 10 to 12, 2024, Barcelona will host an international conference that will bring together governments, leaders, maritime sectors, philanthropic agents, universities, private sectors and oenagés to reflect on the successes of the first three years of the Decade of the Ocean and to define a collective vision for the future. And, among many other initiatives, work is being done, together with the Nautical and Action Cluster, to develop a 100% Catalan boat that will be a reference for electric boats worldwide and also charging points in the ports of Catalonia, especially in the Port Olympic, which also serve as an example.
