Barcelona is a great city for professional sports. The great
climate makes it ideal for outdoor activities. Since hosting
the Olympic Games in 1992, the city has enjoyed the top quality
sporting iinfrastructure built for the most important events. Some
of these sporting complexes include athletic and football
stadiums, a velodrome, swimming pools, ice rinks and sporting
marinas.
The absolute favorite sport in Barcelona is football (soccer).
Practically a religion, many of the locals eat, sleep and
breathe the sport. The local team, Barca, is one of the best
ranked teams in Europe. It competes in the first division
of the Spanish Football League. The team really belongs to
the sports club called Barca, which actually has teams in
different sports. Pau Gasol, a present-day NBA star came from
the Barca basketball team. This team also won the 2003 Euroleague.
Barcelona is famous for its castells or human castles.
This traditional sport of the Catalan region consists of building
human towers that reach amazing heights. The Catalan people
are very proud of this custom and consider it a reflection
of what teamwork, perseverance and endurance can achieve.
Castell contests are a sight to behold.
In Catalonia, bullfighting is not a great favorite, as in
the rest of Spain. Sporadic bullfighting events may be staged
on the odd Sunday afternoon, but only during the summer.
