King and the IOC President also had a bilateral meeting where they were joined The by IOC Vice-President Juan Antonio Samaranch and Alejandro Blanco, the President of the NOC of Spain. The King and the IOC President discussed the legacy of the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992, the organisation of forthcoming international sports events in Spain and other topics of mutual interest. 

President Bach said: “The magic of the Olympic Games brought the world to Barcelona – and the Olympic Games brought a new Barcelona to the world. The Olympic Games transformed Barcelona. Until the Olympic Games, Barcelona was living with its back turned to the beautiful Mediterranean. The Olympic Games allowed Barcelona to turn around and truly embrace the sea. It also brought many other improvements that the citizens of Barcelona still enjoy today.”

King Felipe VI of Spain, who competed at the Olympic Games in sailing and who was also the flagbearer of the Spanish Olympic Team at the Opening Ceremony, spoke about the Games as “an extraordinary set of events, which hold a special place in our country’s memory, as a precious milestone in our most recent history.”

King Felipe stressed in his address, held in the Palacete Albéniz, the residence of the King of Spain in Barcelona, that “after the Games, all of Spain was proud of this city. This success for Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain was possible thanks to the commitment and the solidarity effort of all.”

President Bach also stressed the unifying character of the Olympic Games 1992. “With Nelson Mandela attending the Opening Ceremony, there was a clear message of peace and friendship, of unity in diversity, that went from Barcelona to the world,” he told the audience./. (olympic.org)