Why choose Barcelona?
Barcelona's ability to host major sporting events, the climate, the number of people and especially the existence of the Olympic complex, were decisive in the choice of Open Camp.
In 2011, a group of business people and entrepreneurs from Barcelona decided to set up a company which in early 2012 began promoting an unprecedented business innovation, here and overseas, which they called Open Camp Sportainment. The aim was to invite the public to enjoy the thrill of sports in authentic sporting facilities. After more than a year of investigating a number of possible European venues apt for such a development, including Manchester, Ibiza, Andorra, Salou-Port Aventura and Seville, the group finally chose Barcelona's Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.
The choice was due to several factors: in 2013 the city ranked second in the world on the global cities sports' index and a big plus was the large number of visitors to Montjuïc each year, around 4.2 million people. The climate was also important, but the decisive factor was the existence of the Olympic complex.
Open Camp director Paco Medina says the idea came to him while flying over Montjuïc before landing at El Prat airport and looking down on the city's Olympic complex. Much like other cities that have hosted the Games or a World Cup, after the event finishes, many of the facilities lie idle for much of the time.
Open Camp Sportainment's aim was to breathe new life into assets like that with plans for Olympic parks, museums, stadiums and even hotels, public or private. Barcelona's Olympic complex fitted perfectly into the concept. From there the idea began to take shape and on 18 July 2014, Medina presented his huge project to the city council.
Expecting criticism, which did come from groups such as ICV which saw a danger in privatising a public asset, Medina explained that the City keeps ownership of the complex and Open Camp would be paying for the use of facilities which has an annual deficit of 2.5 million euros.
