Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium[2][a] formerly known as the Estadi de Montjuïc and Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc and also known in English as the Barcelona Olympic Stadium,[3][4] is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the city (and Barcelona's failed bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics, which were awarded to Berlin), it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics[5] and 1992 Summer Paralympics. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Barcelona since the 2023–24 season, due to the renovation of their regular ground, the Camp Nou. The stadium is named after Lluís Companys, the first minister of the Catalonia autonomous region during the Spanish Civil War.
With its current capacity of 54,367 seats[1] (67,007 during the 1992 Olympics), it is the sixth-largest stadium in Spain and the second largest in Catalonia.
The stadium is located in the Anella Olímpica, on Montjuïc, a hill to the southwest of the city that overlooks the harbor.
In the seventies, the stadium was disused and the stands deteriorated. When the Spanish Grand Prix and other races were held at the Montjuïc racing circuit, the stadium was used as a paddock for the teams. Due to safety concerns, the 1975 F1 race was nearly boycotted by drivers.[citation needed]
During the Barcelona's bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics, the stadium was totally renovated with the involvement of Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti. The stadium was gutted, preserving parts of the original facades, and new grandstands were built. In 1989, the venue was re-inaugurated for the World Cup in Athletics, and three years later it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and all the athletics competitions of the Olympic Games and also the same functions during the Paralympics.[7]
The stadium served as the home of Espanyol from 1997 until 2009.
Since the 2023–24 season, the stadium has served as the home ground for Barcelona during the redevelopment of the Camp Nou. The club plan to continue playing at the Estadi Olímpic until the redevelopment of the Camp Nou is completed by the 2025–26 season.[8]
Events
Sports
1929: Montjuïc hosted its first ever event, Spain's first official rugby international game against Italy.[9] Spain won 9–0.[9]
^"Como la selección de Cataluña..." [How did the Catalonia team...]. hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Hemeroteca. 21 May 1929. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
^ abRichards, Huw A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union (Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 2007, ISBN978-1-84596-255-5); Chapter 6, Gathering Storms, p129
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