The session held at the Joan Antoni Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum as part of the «The Value of Sport in the 21st Century» series has been a revelation about the true scale of what it takes to host the Tour de France Grand Départ. Moderated by journalist Jordi Fandiño, the event has brought together four leading voices to examine the sporting, economic and social impact of one of the most significant cycling events on the planet.
David Escudé, Barcelona City Council Sports Councillor and President of the Fundació Barcelona Olímpica, welcomed attendees on behalf of the Museu Olímpic, hinting that the Grand Départ is not an endpoint but a starting point: that Barcelona must keep growing in the world of major events, that clubs such as FC Barcelona have the institutional backing to aspire to host a Champions League final, and that the city has both the ambition and the structure to hold a permanent place on the map of world sport.
Xavier Patón, from the Area Management for Economic Promotion, Tourism, International Relations and Sports at Barcelona City Council, outlined the complex municipal coordination that makes an event of this scale possible — security, mobility, communications and logistics — suggesting that behind every great spectacle lies an invisible machine that only works when every department operates as one.
Sergio Heredia, journalist at La Vanguardia and former international athlete, made a powerful case for the city’s sporting credentials.
Javier Guillén, Director General of Unipublic and President of the AIOCC, contributed the international organisational perspective, hinting that Barcelona is not simply an occasional host city but a natural, recurring candidate for the great cycling races, thanks to its logistical capacity, international profile and the passion of its sporting public.
From the front row, Carles Ferrer, President of the Federació Catalana de Ciclisme and Rubèn Peris, Director General of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, completed the debate with the federation and organisational perspective, highlighting that Catalonia’s cycling tradition is the solid foundation on which any great sporting ambition can be built.
If you were unable to attend or would like to watch the session again, it is available on the YouTube channel of the Fundació Barcelona Olímpica – Museu Olímpic BCN:
