THE OLYMPIC LEGACY

The Olympic Legacy

Introduction

Barcelona , the capital of Catalunya , is reputed to be one of the most enchanting cities in Europe . It provides a fabulous array of tourist attractions , museums , cathedrals and beaches . The city has a superb public transportation system with a broad network of metro lines , buses and trains connected to regional and international train and air services

The City has some major sporting attractions including the mighty FC Barcelona 's gigantic football stadium and the 1992 Olympic Stadium

Barcelona has prospered since the early 1990s , when preparations

for the Olympic Games turned it into modernity , and today , it remains well in the arena of other Spanish cities in terms of comfort , stability and cultural activity

Impact of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics

The impact of the city 's appointment as Olympic host city was clear unemployment experienced a dramatic fall , the housing market came back to life and , of course , the construction industry underwent a boom

Brunet (2005 ) reported that the labor market of Barcelona and its hinterland benefited significantly to the holding of the Olympic Games The rate of unemployment decreased considerably from an all-time high of 127 ,774 , in November 1986 to as low as 60 ,885 , by July 1992 , while the Olympic Games were held . Records also also show that between October 1986 and August 1992 , Barcelona 's general unemployment rate fell from 18 .4 to 9 .6 , while the Spanish numbers were 20 .9 and 15 .5 respectively . In the initial phase , Olympic-based activity produced annual occupation rates of an additional 35 ,309 persons , on the average (Brunet 2005

It was likewise reported that investments in infrastructure and facilities brought to additional permanent employment for an estimated 20 ,019 people . Thus , the average annual effect over the 1987-1993 period of Barcelona '92 was employment for some 59 ,328 persons . We can therefore conclude that at least 88 .7 of the decrease in unemployment recorded in Barcelona between November 1986 and July 1992 was due mainly to the Games

Considerably , after the Games , unemployment in Barcelona increased by 21 ,000 persons , a figure approximately equal to the annual employment provided by the Olympic Games of 1992 . The investment generated by the Games offered a soft mattress , reducing the fall in a context of general depression

Barcelona 's economy showed resistant to the extensive repression and after 1994 , once again started to create employment . Until 1993 , at least 41 ,450 new jobs were created , illustrating a halving of the unemployment figures . For 1993 and 1994 , the figures in unemployment rose by 18 ,000 persons but after 1995 , unemployment fell due to some 20 ,230 permanent jobs coming from Olympic investment

In the construction sector , meanwhile , there was a reported increase in the consumption of cement between 1986 and 1992 . House building also swollen , in spite of the fact that as a city , Barcelona 's building potential had already been partially exploited

In relation to other Olympic Games , historically , the Barcelona Games were surpassing in terms of...