From July 25 to August 9, 1992, the XXV Summer Olympic Games were held in Barcelona. About ten thousand athletes from 169 countries took part in them. These were the first Olympic Games that took place after the collapse of the USSR.
In 1992, Spain hosted two international events. Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona and World Exhibition in Seville. Therefore, the changes taking place in the country were aimed not only at preparing for the games, but in general at holding special international events. For example, various incentives were provided for enterprises that decided to participate in the construction of Olympic facilities and buildings for the exhibition.
Preparations for the Summer Olympic Games included not only an economic, but also a socio-cultural moment. For the first time, the city authorities, in agreement with the IOC, held a Cultural Olympiad. Under this name, they united a series of events that were held for several years before the games themselves.
The beginning of the Cultural Olympiad was the City Fiesta. This is a festival celebrating the delivery of the Olympic flag from Seoul, where the previous games were held in Barcelona. It was at this event that Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe performed their famous duet "Barcelona". After that, a number of events related to the 1992 Olympics were held.
In 1991 the USSR collapsed. For a year, the former republics, which became independent states, could not have time to carry out all the formalities associated with the creation of the NOC and make applications for participation in the Olympic Games. Therefore, they were given special permission from the IOC to act as a united CIS team. Only Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were independent teams.
In addition, the team of the united Germany took part in the Olympic Games for the first time. According to forecasts, this made the Germans real contenders for victory in the team competition. Ultimately, this led to the fact that it was very difficult to make any confident predictions before the games. Experts predicted the victory of the US national team.
However, the Olympic Games showed the fallacy of these assumptions. The first place was taken by the united CIS team - 112 medals. The second place, in the absence of the GDR, was taken by the US athletes - 108 medals, and the third place was taken by the German team - 82 medals.
The main contribution to the victory of the CIS team was made by athletes, shooters, wrestlers, swimmers, weightlifters and gymnasts. US athletes have won swimming and synchronized swimming, basketball, sailing, tennis, athletics, and rowing slalom. It was in Barcelona that the United States introduced its basketball Dream Team, which included Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and other prominent basketball players.
German athletes excelled in equestrian sports, field hockey, rowing, cycling, kayaking and canoeing. In 1992, sports such as badminton, women's judo and baseball were added to the Olympic program. Before that, at the Olympics, they were only as a demonstration type.
