THE SPORTS SECTOR IN AND

BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL [Front cover] View of Barcelona from the Picornell pools. Property: Catalan Tourist Board Copyright: Lluís Carro THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA

BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL

10 REASONS WHY CATALONIA IS SPORT 01 Sports power: major clubs and sports practitioners. 02 Organiser of top international sports events. 03 Top sports facilities and infrastructure. 04 Land of sportsmen and women: talent, training and education. 05 Home of major companies and leading brands. 06 Headquarter of major foreign sport companies. 07 Sports : a perfect location with perfect conditions. 08 Leader on ICT, Health, Design and R&D. 09 The Barcelona brand: much more than a city. 10 INDESCAT: the Catalan Sports Cluster.

Image courtesy of the Barcelona brand campaign by the Barcelona City Council

2 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 3 PRESENTATION

Since the beginning of the 20th century Catalonia has been very actively in- is Futbol Club Barcelona. It plays a of the sports that have held some of This document describes all the assets volved in sports, ranging from football to motorsports, and the sports world, crucial role and has become the best their most prestigious international and potential of the sports sector in ranging from clubs and social participation to companies and entrepreneurship. ambassador of Catalonia and Barce- competitions in Barcelona and Cata- Catalonia and in Barcelona, giving 10 This dynamism culminated in the with the 1992 , but also lona around the world. Barça is one of lonia. At the same time, Catalonia is strategic reasons WHY CATALONIA with the internationalisation of Football Club Barcelona, the F1 Championship, the world’s best-known football clubs experiencing a massive growth in the IS SPORT. and the development of excellent infrastructures such as the High Performance and a regular participant in the UEFA practice of sport and fun runs, with Centre (CAR). With all these assets, entrepreneurs and sportspeople, a powerful Champions League. Barça players are a local and international participants and growing sports industry cluster has developed what is a pole of attraction good example on how Catalan sports- in races such as the Zurich Barcelona for companies and talent. men are among the best of the world, which has more than 18,000 but the club is also a good example runners, over 40% from outside . The great importance that Catalan ranch, and the international media. on how foreign sportsmen are trained society attaches to sport has helped Today, Catalonia and Barcelona hold a here to succeed internationally. Kilian Last but not least, this constant Catalonia to become a world leader in leading position in sport, propped up Jornet (ski mountaineer and long-dis- spirit of improvement is also shared this field, making Barcelona the third by several pillars described below. But tance runner) or () by the business sector, another most sport-oriented city worldwide. there is still much to improve and we As early as 1926, on his visit to Bar- are all working together to strengthen Catalonia is the territory with the greatest concentration of sports celona, the founder of the modern this leading position. businesses in . It has more than 500 companies linked to sport, which Olympic Games Baron Pierre de Cou- bertin wrote: “Before my visit to Bar- One important pillar is the Sant Cugat represents more than 70% of Spanish production, with a turnover exceeding celona, I thought I knew what a sport CAR, a facility created for the Olympic 4 billion and more than 22,000 employees. This growing sector includes city was like”. Games. It is one of the most advanced elite sports centres in the world, a wide variety of industries and accounts for 2.1% of the Catalan GDP1. With a large capital, Barcelona, and receives top athletes and is in charge a strong personality, Catalonia has of training national sportsmen and are other examples of local talent, and key pillar. Local sports businesses always been defined as a sports coun- women. Another pillar and a crucial obvious pillars of the Catalan sports develop around the organisation of try. The 1992 Olympic Games marked sports facility is the Circuit de Barce- ecosystem. sports events, building and man- a turning point in the city’s transfor- lona-Catalunya. Located near Barce- aging sports facilities, or designing mation and had an impact on an inter- lona, it hosts prestigious motorsports In recent years Catalonia and Barce- and distributing sports goods. Local national level. Catalonia showed the competitions, such as Formula 1 and lona have showed the world a great entrepreneurs combine with the rest of the world it led the way in the Moto GP, which have an economic organisational capacity, hosting some local headquarters of international organisation of great sports events. impact worth more than 175 million of the most prestigious sports events. big brands. The competitiveness of In fact, the XXV Olympic Games were euros a year. Football, , snowboarding, this cluster comes from this capac- described as “the best of the modern extreme sports, basketball, horse rid- ity to combine sport and business, 1 El pes econòmic de l’esport a Catalunya. era” up to that point by the former With over 160,000 club members, ing, , motorsports, swimming, to attract talent and the atmosphere Consell Català de l’Esport. IOC President, Juan Antonio Sama- another key pillar of Catalan sport , athletics and cycling are some Barcelona inspires. Secretaria General de l’Esport.

4 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 5 SPORTS POWER: MAJOR CLUBS AND SPORTS 01 PRACTITIONERS

Barcelona is the third city in the world as regards club members.

The practice of is Some of them are internationally rec- increasing. The number of people ognised because of their long tradition, who do sport rose to 50% in 2009, their large membership and their suc- up from 35% in 1990. In fact, a study cess in competitions. carried out in 2012 and coordinated by INDESCAT, the Catalan Sports Cluster, In Barcelona we find the oldest club put the number of sports practition- in Spain, the Círculo Ecuestre. Since ers in Catalonia to 63%. This study it was founded, many other clubs FIATC Joventut. pointed to a big growth have followed and today Palau d’Esports, . in “sports lovers”: people some have a history Property: Catalan Tourist Board who do sport more than stretching back around Copyright: Cablepress twice a week. They repre- 100 years. Futbol Club sent around 20% of the Barcelona is one of Catalan population and Barcelona’s best global have led a big growth in ambassadors, with over fun runs and the level of 160,000 members around participation. the world. And with the slo- . gan “more than a club”, Barça has Property: A clear example of the importance won top championships not only as a Copyright: Eduard Omedes that sport has in Catalan life is the football team but in other sports too, Spanish youth polo number of sport facilities registered such as basketball, handball, Swimming: Club Natació , the 1992 Olympic Games equestrian championship. throughout the country: 35,424 sports and hockey. from which as many as eight athletes events; Real Club Náutico de Barce- Club Natació Sabadell. Property: UFEC: Catalan Sports facilities, 14,316 sports clubs, 21 took part in the 2012 Olympic lona, a reference point in Mediter- Federations Union recognised national teams and There are other internation- Games, Club Natació Atlètic-Barce- ranean sailing; FIATC 72 sports federations, which ally renowned clubs as well loneta, with more than 11,000 mem- Joventut, the first are grouped together in the that are inherently linked to bers; and Club Natació Barcelona. Cata­lan club to win the UFEC, the Catalan Sports Barcelona and Catalonia in Federations Union. sports such as football, Tennis: Real Club de Tennis Barcelona, League; the RACC, a swimming and tennis. which organises the in the motor- Catalonia, and especially Banc Sabadell Trofeu Conde de Godó; ing sector; the Cen- Barcelona, has a large Football: Real Club Depor- and Club Tennis de . tre Excursionista de number of sports clubs that tivo Español, the second Catalalunya, the Grup promote the practice of sport, civic football club in Barcelona in terms Top clubs should be highlighted in Excursionista i Esportiu commitment, competition and the of membership, and Gimnàstic de other sports to, such as Real Club Gironí and the Sícoris international projection of the city. . de Polo de Barcelona, the venue for Club, among others.

6 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 7 ORGANISER OF TOP INTERNATIONAL SPORTS 02 EVENTS

Since the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona has become a worldwide reference Barcelona World Race. and a to follow in the organisation of prestigious international sports. Property: Fundació Navegació Oceànica de Barcelona Copyright: María Muiña Zurich . The Barcelona Olympic Games cross Championship of Catalonia, Property: R P M Racing were the most important inter- the World Rally Car Championship national event held in Barcelona and the FIM Indoor Enduro World Marathon (more than 18,000 run- BARCELONA WORLD RACE: the ZURICH BARCELONA MARATHON: an and Catalonia. They showed a new Championship among others. ners), the Barcelona Half Mara- first only double-handed non-stop annual competition over and exciting city to the world and thon, the Garmin Barcelona Triath- regatta around the world, organised the classic distance of 42,195 km. held helped Spain, Catalonia and Barce- At the same time Barcelona has lon, the El Corte Inglés Race (more by the Fundació Navegació Oceànica in Barcelona that started in 1978 and lona to improve their global image, experienced a big growth in fun than 50,000 participants), the Fire- de Barcelona, which begins and ends that reached nearly 20,000 runners in thanks to modern organisation runs, with local and international fighters Race and the “Cursa de la in Barcelona and follows the Great the 2012 edition, with more than 43% and great execution. participants. The Zurich Barcelona Mercè”. Circle line. of foreign participation.

Twenty years later Barcelona is BARCELONA OPEN BANC SABADELL­ still proud of this Olympic spirit. TROFEU CONDE DE GODÓ: a prestig- In recent years Catalonia and Bar- ious 50-year-old ATP World Tour 500 celona have shown the world their Series tennis tournament held annu- Barcelona Olympic Games great organisational capacity by ally at the facilities of the Real Club opening ceremony. Property: Fundació Barcelona Olímpica hosting some of the most prestig- de Tenis Barcelona (Barcelona Royal ious global sports events. For exam- Tennis Club). ple: the European Athletic Champi- onships (2010), the Barcelona World FORMULA 1 , Race (2010, 2014), the Games hosted by the Circuit de Barcelo- (2013), the FINA World Champion- na-Catalunya racetrack, together with ships (2003 and 2013), the Handball the Moto GP Catalan Grand Prix and IHF Men’s World Championship other competitions. (2013), the FIS Snowboarding World Championships (2011), the Tour de France (2009), the IAAF World Jun- ior Championships (2012), the Bar- celona Open Banc Sabadell Trofeu Conde de Godó tennis tournament, the CSIO Barcelona (International Show Jumping Event), the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Catalo- Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Property: Catalan Tourist Board nia Moto GP Grand Prix, the Moto- Copyright: Foto-tècnia fotògrafs

8 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 9 Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Property: Catalan Tourist Board Copyright: Cablepress

TOP LEVEL . Property: Fútbol Club Barcelona SPORTS FACILITIES Copyright: German Parga 03 AND INFRASTRUCTURE

With 35,424 sports areas, Catalonia fact, the wide variety of landscapes has more sports facilities than any that Catalonia offers makes it the other region in Spain, which allows the perfect place for any sports activity. Catalan population to enjoy more than Indoor trial & enduro 300 different sports activities, offered Catalonia also has a long golfing tra- event in . 1 by both the public and private sectors . dition and is one of the prime - Property: RPM Racing Catalonia has world-class facilities for pean destinations for golfers, offering hosting, playing, doing or training in 38 golf links and 34 pitch-and-putt any kind of sport, ranging from motor- courses along the , in the hin- sports to sailing, skiing, cycling or golf. terland and even in the .

With 600 km of slopes and 16 ski Motorsports have a long tradition in resorts for downhill and cross-country Catalonia, the home of a number of car skiing, there are plenty of options for and motorbike manufacturers, too. It doing winter sports, while 580 km of hosts the most important motorsports

Cross-country skiing. this rich motor sport tradition, along the Futbol Sports Complex or Marxa Pirineus. with the big number of motor circuits the campuses belonging to differ- Property: UFEC. Catalan Sports here (7 speed circuits, 35 karting cir- ent clubs and universities (Univer- Federations Union cuits and 32 motocross tracks). sitat de Barcelona and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). The means there are facilities for all kinds of Finally, Catalonia has several sports sports, ranging from 15 moun- arenas and stadiums capable of hold- Lluís Companys. coastline with 42 marinas along the events in the world (Formula 1, Moto tain-bike centres with more than ing international competitions in dif- Property: Catalan Tourist Board Copyright: Daniel Julián Catalan seafront are the best option GP and the World Rally Car Champion- 200 routes to one of the best-known ferent sports: football, , cycling, for nautical sports enthusiasts. In ship). World Class facilities such as the skydiving centres in Empuriabrava. swimming, basketball, skiing, golfing Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Moreover, there are specialist and motorsports, among others. 1 Catalan Sports Council. Barcelona has Circuit de Motocross de Catalunya, The resorts for training aimed at inter- 60% of Catalan sport facilities, which represent 12% of Spanish ones. (Turisme Parc Motor Castellolí and the Idiada national sportsmen and women, de Barcelona.) Test Circuit are the best examples of plus courses and campuses, such as

10 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 11 Kílian Jornet. Property: UFEC: Catalan Sports Federations Union

LAND OF SPORTSMEN AND Josep Guardiola. Property: Mundo Deportivo WOMEN: TALENT, TRAINING Copyright: Manel Montilla 04 AND EDUCATION

Mireia Catalonia is home to some of the Belmonte. world’s best-known sportsmen and Property: women, but is also known for its ca- Mundo Deportivo pacity to attract talent through edu- Copyright: Pep cation and training in sports: sports- Morata men and women, managers, trainers, coaches, designers and sports engi- neers. Synchronised swimming. Catalan Swimming technical and scientific quality. It is Federation. one of the most prestigious perfor- Property: UFEC mance centres on the planet, training Catalan and Spanish athletes as well lonia but other clubs and federations women born around the world who as welcoming athletes and teams in different sports have schools that have chosen this welcoming coun- from all over the world. Today some are actively and successfully training try to live and train in during part 320 men and women from 30 differ- future world champions. of their lives: (tennis), ent sports train at the CAR facilities2. Lionel Messi and (- In fact, 34% of the Spanish Federa- Catalonia is also known for being ball), (motor rac- tion that participated in and obtained the birthplace of former and current ing) and some of the Tour de France a medal at the 2012 London Olympic leading sports figures, such as Pep winners (cycling). A lot of clubs, Games came from Catalonia, and 40% Guardiola, Hernández and Carles teams and individual sportsmen and of the Spanish team had trained at Puyol in football; Nacho Solozábal, women from all over the world train the CAR before. Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro in in Catalonia on various courses and basketball; the handball coach Valero at training camps, as it is has ful- CAR. High Pau Gasol. Joel Gonzalez, Brigitte Yagüe, (Taekwondo), Andrea Fuentes and Ona Rivera, and Manel Estiarte and Roser ly-equipped resorts that specialise performance Property: Mundo Deportivo centre. Carbonell (synchronised swimming), the national hockey team, the national Tarragó in ; and in different sports. Copyright: Manel Montilla in motorsports; Sergi water polo team, Mirea Belmonte (swimming) and Maialen Chourrat (white Bruguera and Arantxa Sánchez Last but not least, Catalonia is home institutes. These range from phys- water) are a few examples of CAR’s success at the 2012 Olympic Games. Vicario in tennis; or Melcior Mauri to different training programmes ical activity and sports sciences, to and Joaquim Rodríguez in cycling, and schools for sports professionals sports management, sports law and The best example for training is the “La ”, the training school for Gemma Mengual in synchronised and the sports industry. There are sports technology. Managers, train- CAR, the High Performance Centre Barça football players, is the best- swimming, and Killian Jornet in sky more than 30 sports education pro- ers, coaches, designers and engineers which trains elite sportsmen and known private sports school in Cata- running and ski mountaineering, just grammes (undergraduate and post- from top sports organisations and women. The CAR offers an extraor- to mention a few of them. Catalonia graduate courses) run by more than 10 companies have been born, trained or dinary infrastructure of the highest 2 Mundo Deportivo. is home too for many sportsmen and prestigious universities and education lived in Catalonia.

12 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 13 Zurich Barcelona Marathon. Property: RPM Racing

HOME OF MAJOR COMPANIES 05 AND LEADING BRANDS

Fluidra headquarters. The importance of sport in Catalonia and the entrepreneurship that has tradi- Sabadell. tionally characterised the Catalan population has helped to produce the wide range of local companies that make up the Catalan sports industry.

In Catalonia there are more than 500 com- Some Catalan companies are also panies whose activities are linked to sport global leading brands in their busi- and which can be grouped into 3 different ness. Furthermore, their internation- sports segments. Some examples of busi- alisation strategy is one of the pillars ness leadership are provided below: of their business model. In that sense, there is a strong link between these Facilities Events Consumer Goods leading brands and the sport they rep- resent: small and medium-sized com- panies with very specialised products sold worldwide.

Two main factors have helped increase the number of sports com-

panies. The first was the 1992 Olym- Buff. pic Games. A diverse group of com- Design Department. panies emerged from the Games that involved sports facilities (architects, The other key success factor that builders, managers and equipment) allows these companies to be com- and sports events. After 2000, the petitive in an international market new globalisation era and new tech- is innovation. This may come from nologies have helped to produce technology but also from the defi- a new generation of companies. nition and implementation of each These take advantage of technology business model. Moreover, we are and design but they have also been not just talking about successful inspired by the growth in the num- sports companies being created in ber of people who do sport and they Catalonia but also leading compa- mostly have an international focus. In nies in the consumer market, such as this group we find companies rang- Mango, Desigual, , Natura Bisse ing from sports services (tourism or and Tous. training) to sports products (nutri- tion, monitoring or social networks).

14 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 15 HEADQUARTER OF MAJOR FOREIGN 06 SPORT COMPANIES

Puma headquarters. Catalonia has a long history as an in- These are some of the reasons why Cornellà de . dustrial and entrepreneurial country. It leading sports companies such as Nike, is one of the most developed regions Puma, HAVAS Sports & Entertainment, in Spain and Europe. Most foreign Polar, Isostar, Rossignol, Amer Sports, sports companies choose Catalonia , Gore-Tex, Euroleague, IMG, Atos, and Barcelona as their headquarters ASICS and Fox Head, among others, have in Spain, and even as a major global decided to rely on Catalonia to expand headquarters, with commercial, R&D their business market. Good examples of and production centres. this are the recent investments of Adidas in an ICT team, Rossignol in renewing its Barcelona owes much of its success in production plant, Atos with its Olympic developing into a commercial and indus- IT team based in Barcelona, or Fox Head trial centre to its strategic location and with its new EMEA headquarters. historically good transport links. Its posi- tion on the Mediterranean has allowed it Moreover, companies not linked to to develop one of Europe’s most impor- sport but which are leading companies tant ports, while its proximity to early in the consumer market also choose developers, France and , encouraged Barcelona for their headquarters, pro- the city to grow and become Spain’s duction plants or design centres, for international trade centre. example, Nestlé, , Unilever, Image courtesy of the Barcelona brand campaign by the Barcelona Sara Lee and Massimo Dutti. City Council Barcelona is ranked: The 2nd Best sports city in the world The 1st European Innovation Capital The 1st in the Spanish State, the 4th in Europe and the 10th in the world The 3rd City the world in number of international congresses The 1st City with the most congress attendees in the world The 3rd European city in attracting investment The 4th European city in international tourism Barcelona City Council (http://www.bcn.cat/inspira/es/welcome.html)

16 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 17 SPORTS TOURISM: A PERFECT LOCATION 07 WITH PERFECT CONDITIONS

Located in the north-east of Spain, between the Pyrenees and the shores of the , Catalonia has a strategic geographical position that gives it a Mediterranean climate that is ideal for any sport.

On the one hand, the Pyrenees dom- 150,000 skiers an hour, making them On the other hand, Catalonia’s loca- Views of Cadaqués. inate the whole of northern Catalo- an ideal place for skiing in this land tion by the sea benefits the region Property: Catalan Tourist Board Copyright: Marc Ripol nia, extending for more than 230 km of snow. and its capital, Barcelona, with mild from the peaks of Val d’Aran to the weather and pleasant temperatures Cap de Creus, where they sink into Together with winter sports, this throughout the year. Water sports, the Mediterranean. This natural bor- mountainous country, full of valleys such as diving to discover the amaz- der between France and Spain, with carved out by rivers, glaciers, natural ing Medes Islands or sailing, are also summits rising to 3,000 meters, parks and protected areas, is espe- popular among those eager to face makes all kinds of winter sports cially suitable for activities such as extreme challenges. possible. With more than 600 km of hiking, with a network of footpaths slopes and 16 ski resorts for downhill over 5,000 km long. Climbing, As already noted, Catalonia also has a and cross-country skiing, Catalonia cycling, horse-trekking and a wide great number of sports facilities that has more winter facilities than any range of activities are also possible are adequate for almost any kind of “Volta” ciclista Golf Serres. Pals. other region in Spain. These have in this diverse and charming land- sport, and that are a pole of attraction Property: Catalan Tourist Board a Catalunya Copyright: Golf Serres de Pals 130 ski lifts capable of carrying over scape. for clubs, sportsmen, sportswomen and Property: RPM Racing children’s camps throughout the year.

Finally, there is a set of international sport events that attracts tourists, ranging from spectators to those who want to take an active part. In that regard there has been a significant increase in the number of participants in races such as the Zurich Barcelona Marathon, in which more than 40% come from outside Spain. The For- mula 1 Championship, Barça’s matches and the Barcelona World Race, on the other hand, help to promote specta- Cross-country skiiing. sports as another great source of Marxa Pirineus. Property: UFEC. Catalan Sports tourism. Federations Union

18 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 19 LEADER ON ICT, HEALTH, 08 DESIGN AND R&D

Autonomous TecnoCampus Catalonia is one of the top regions in University of terms of innovation in Europe, and Barcelona. its capital is home to leading health, design and ICT clusters.

Barcelona, which has hosted the GSMA since 2009, was chosen as the Mobile World Capital in 2011 and will hold that title until 2018. Barcelona is also home to an ICT cluster composed of local com- panies, training centres, research cen- tres and also ICT multinationals that have located development centres in Barcelona, such as Telefonica I+D.

Another cluster that is emerging around Barcelona is composed of e-commerce companies such as eDreams, Privalia, Intercom, Let’s Printed Electronics. Bonus, Softonic and Atrápalo3. A new biosciences, as most of the bioscience or recover from all kind of sports inju- Cetemmsa generation of start-ups and entre- research done in Spain is carried out ries in specialist centres and clinics. preneurs is also springing up around in Barcelona and it is an important these leading companies, some of European hub. As regards sport, we Barcelona is also known for its design them generating new companies that have the foremost research on sud- centres and its capacity to attract tal- INEFC. The National mix new technologies and sports. den death in the world being carried ent from all over the world. The clus- Institute of Physical out at Barcelona’s Hospital Clínic by ter of institutes, training centres and Education in Catalonia Yet another important cluster linked Dr. Brugada’s team, or the research companies dedicated to design is one to sport is the health cluster. In Cat- funded by the World Anti-Doping of the growing clusters in Barcelona. the twelve Catalan universities. One of alonia we find prestigious research Agency being done by the Anti-Dop- them, the INEFC, is a centres and hospitals dedicated to ing Control Laboratory of Barcelona Together with these clusters, it is cru- devoted entirely to sport. Finally, Cat- at the IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical cial to highlight the innovation infra- alonia is also the home of prestigious 3 http://www.lavanguardia. Research Institute). Moreover, various structures in Catalonia, a network research institutions and infrastruc- com/barcelona- metropolis/20111204/54239695785/ sportsmen and women from around made up of eight technology centers tures such as the Alba Synchrotron or barcelona-comercio-electronico.html the world visit Barcelona to heal, treat focused on different technologies, and the MareNostrum supercomputer.

20 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 21 THE BARCELONA BRAND: 09 MUCH MORE THAN A CITY

Since the Olympic Games, Barcelona has been seen by the rest of the world as an in- Magic Fountain of novative cosmopolitan city, linked to creativity, culture, fashion, art and modernity. Montjuïc. Property: Catalan Tourist Board Copyright: Nano Cañas A study carried out by the ESADE Brand Institute called “Barcelona in the Eyes of the World” shows how the city is perceived worldwide and its attributes involved. Architecture and Design: the perfect distribution and design of the Eix- According to this study, Barcelona has a strong, positive image, linked to tourism, ample area, the Collserola tower, the which is automatically attached to football, the Olympic Games and culture. Palau Sant Jordi, the , and the constant presence of Gaudí in Moreover, Barcelona is considered to be the most attractive city to live in from the the Sagrada Família, the Parc Güell, point of view of the 9 countries surveyed. In that sense, the capital of Catalonia etc. On the city streets, Modernista façades coexist with new architec- can compete with other European cities, such as , London or . ture, creating an urban landscape that unites tradition and modernity. The values of the Barcelona brand are: Tradition and culture: Gaudí, Dalí, Barcelona is the only city in the world Miró, Tàpies, Picasso, etc. Graphic with nine buildings classed as UNE- and visual creation has been an SCO World Heritage sites. inherent feature of Catalonia since the () Knowledge, experience and technol- period. The work of immortal and ogy: the training and professional Zurich Barcelona legendary artists such as these tradition of Barcelona makes the Marathon. lives on and exemplifies the great city a hotbed of ideas and some- Property: RPM Racing tradition of the community as a where you can always learn. The city creative place. is committed to the knowledge econ- omy, with initiatives such as 22@Bar- Creativity and inspiration: Barcelona is celona, a strategic project designed the source of stimuli for a creator. This so companies and institutions from includes , architecture, the media, medical technologies, ICT commerce and the bilingual situation, and energy sectors can interact with as well as the system of activities, knowledge centres such as universi- daily life, popular and leisure facilities. ties and R&D centres. Furthermore the city now has many View of Barcelona from foreign students and this makes it the expiatory church of Park Güell. particularly accommodating for new La Sagrada Família. Property: Catalan Tourist Board Property: Catalan Tourist Board Copyright: Oriol Alamany arrivals. Copyright: Imagen M.A.S.

22 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 23 INDESCAT: THE CATALAN 10 SPORTS CLUSTER

Energy Efficiency session. INDESCAT is the Catalan sports indus- INDESCAT represents more than INDESCAT. OurOurOur Services Services Services try cluster, committed to improving the 50 companies and research centres General Assembly. OurOurOur Services Services Services competitiveness of the sports industry with an overall turnover of 1 billion INDESCAT. by developing and encouraging projects. euros, which provide services and INNOVATIONINNOVATIONINNOVATION BUSINESSBUSINESSBUSINESS CLUB CLUB CLUB VISIBILITYVISIBILITYVISIBILITY INNOVATIONINNOVATIONINNOVATION BUSINESSBUSINESSBUSINESS CLUB CLUB CLUB VISIBILITYVISIBILITYVISIBILITY products­ for the entire sports mar- A business cluster is a geographic ket: consumer goods, sports facilities concentration of interconnected busi- and sports events. The main goal of nesses, suppliers, and associated insti- INDESCAT is to help members identify tutions in a particular business4. In and tackle new business opportuni- 2009 it became obvious that a sports ties which may come from innovation, business cluster existed in Catalonia, internationalisation, training or fund- TRAININGTRAININGTRAINING INTERNATIONALINTERNATIONALINTERNATIONAL NETWORKINGNETWORKINGNETWORKING TRAININGTRAININGTRAINING INTERNATIONALINTERNATIONALINTERNATIONAL NETWORKINGNETWORKINGNETWORKING and that the creation of an organisa- ing. INDESCAT promotes activities tion would help empower the compet- that foster these opportunities such itiveness of the cluster and therefore as work groups, seminars or collab- its companies. After developing a stra- oration agreements with different tegic analysis, INDESCAT was founded institutions. Since 2010 INDESCAT has in 2010 as a private association arranged more than 20 projects and it focused on promoting and strength- has succeeded in helping companies www.indescat.org ening the Catalan sports industry. start businesses together.

INDESCAT is not a simple association, INDESCAT works closely with ACCIÓ, but a cluster of companies that share a the Catalan public agency for com- common language: “sport”. INDESCAT petitiveness, which is currently members work together, looking for working with 22 clusters across Cat- new business opportunities and also alonia. It also holds the “AEI” label helping to ensure its environment is awarded by the Spanish Ministry more suited to developing sports busi- of Industry, and the Bronze label ness. Companies of different sizes and for cluster management awarded Business and Sport awards. belonging to different segments col- by the European Cluster Excellence INDESCAT. laborate on different projects that the Initiative. Finally, INDESCAT is also cluster coordinates, thus improving an active member of the European their strategies and competitiveness. Platform of Sports Innovation (EPSI) and has collaboration agreements 4 Michael Porter in The Competitive with several institutions. Advantage of Nations (1990)

24 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 25 WITH THE COLLABORATION OF:

26 THE SPORTS SECTOR IN BARCELONA AND CATALONIA BARCELONA WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL 27 BARCELONA, WORLD SPORTS CAPITAL