The great Olympic legacy of sailing

The recent celebration of the America's Cup has had little impact on the increase in sailing practice in Barcelona. This is due, to a large extent, to the work of the Centre Municipal de Vela, one of the legacies that the 1992 Games left to the city, by converting the Olympic base of this sport into a school that has provided thousands of practitioners among citizens. The Centre de Vela, in the Port Olímpic, is about to finish the renovation works that began in January 2023 and normalize its activity again, which, on the other hand, has never stopped developing in these last two years.

This facility was one of the great legacies of the Games. For three decades, it has made it possible for citizens, especially young people, to access a sport, sailing, which already had a certain tradition on the Catalan coast, although mostly directed at elitist circles. Since then, the center maintains a thousand members and every year about 17,000 people pass through its facilities to train in this sport, according to its director, Regina Cameron, who adds that, especially in summer, registrations have to be closed because there is more demand than can be met.

While we chat, a group of teenagers burst into the center's facilities. They are going to change after returning to port after practicing classes on the city's coast. They are students from the nearby Icària institute, in the Vila Olímpica, with which the center maintains a close relationship. Students from second year of ESO to first year of bachillerato attend the center during the second term to receive physical education classes in the Port Olímpic learning to sail. The relationship with this institute is so close that some of the future instructors come from it. They are their particular Masia of Barça.

They are not the only students who benefit from the existence of this nautical school. Second, third and fourth year ESO students from all over the city can take advantage of a program promoted by the Barcelona City Council to learn to sail. In addition, another program, Viu la Vela, this one linked to the America's Cup, has allowed students in sixth grade to start in this sport between 2022 and 2024. The offer aimed at young people is completed with the successful casals d'estiu.

The Sailing Center is undoubtedly one of the most successful post-Olympic experiences. It opened shortly after the closing of the '92 Games. Since then, thousands of citizens have started in this sport in this facility managed by the Catalan Sailing Federation. Its current director maintains the commitment and founding values. "We have committed to making sailing a reference sport for citizens," with a special emphasis on children. "We work to promote sailing among young people with the aim of getting them to come and try it," she adds.

The main focus, therefore, is school sports, although adult courses are held throughout the year. A hundred people are responsible for operating the center at full capacity during the summer. The rest of the year, the staff is reduced by half, although activity is always ensured. Proof of this is that, in the middle of December and with the works not yet finished, activity is continuous. A few meters from where we are, an adult protected with a wetsuit maneuvers his boat to set sail through the ramp facing Nova Icària beach. "The ramp is our crown jewel," says Regina. From there, Olympic champions set off in the summer of 1992, and now students and members do, although students mostly leave through the harbor mouth aboard the boats that remain moored at the docks near the center.

The director herself confirms that they have barely noticed the effect of the America's Cup, which ultimately has not generated a great citizen mobilization. It was difficult, because the races took place at a distance from the coast that did not allow them to be followed from land. Only those knowledgeable in this sport could do so with discernment from some points through screens or with optical instruments.

The legacy of the America's Cup will be economic and international promotion of the city. The sporting legacy will be very limited, among other reasons due to the existence of the Sailing Center and its work to democratize this sport in the last 30 years.