The session held at the Joan Antoni Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum as part of the \u00abThe Value of Sport in the 21st Century\u00bb series has been a revelation about the true scale of what it takes to host the Tour de France Grand D\u00e9part. Moderated by journalist Jordi Fandi\u00f1o, 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.<\/p>\n
David Escud\u00e9, Barcelona City Council Sports Councillor and President of the Fundaci\u00f3 Barcelona Ol\u00edmpica, welcomed attendees on behalf of the Museu Ol\u00edmpic, hinting that the Grand D\u00e9part 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.<\/p>\n
Xavier Pat\u00f3n, 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 \u2014 security, mobility, communications and logistics \u2014 suggesting that behind every great spectacle lies an invisible machine that only works when every department operates as one.<\/p>\n
Sergio Heredia, journalist at La Vanguardia and former international athlete, made a powerful case for the city’s sporting credentials.<\/p>\n
Javier Guill\u00e9n, 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.<\/p>\n
From the front row, Carles Ferrer, President of the Federaci\u00f3 Catalana de Ciclisme and Rub\u00e8n 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.<\/p>\n
If you were unable to attend or would like to watch the session again, it is available on the YouTube channel of the Fundaci\u00f3 Barcelona Ol\u00edmpica \u2013 Museu Ol\u00edmpic\u00a0BCN:<\/p>\n