Thousands of people gathered on the coast of Barcelona to watch the first races of the America’s Cup 2024 sailing competition on Thursday.

Many watched the races from the beach while sunbathing or swimming, others watched the Pre-Regatta Offshore.

“We went to Barceloneta Beach yesterday,” Slovakian visitor Simon Kol told Catalan News. They had seen all the “signs and photos” of the competition hanging and therefore “decided to come the next day.”

Simon is one of the many Barcelona visitors who Trip to the Catalan capital for vacation and discovered the America’s Cup. Many others, however, only traveled for the pre-regatta.

“I come from Cagliari, Italy, where the Luna Rossa (sailing team) base is, so I just follow Luna Rossa here. I’m quite a Fan of the America’s Cupthat’s why I’m here,” Stefano, wearing a Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli jersey, told Catalan News.

Many followed the races from afar, others had been waiting for this day for months.

“I wanted to come because I just like boatsnine-year-old Felix from Slovakia told this media outlet. He is traveling to Barcelona with his parents after coming to the Catalan capital last year and learning that the sailing championship would be held there.

The Race Village at Moll de la Fusta, which was to serve as the focal point of the event for fans on land, attracted many fans and curious spectators on the first day.

The space has space for 9,500 people who can watch the races on giant screens while enjoying food and drinks at the stands set up in the area.

The Pérez family from Ripollet travelled to Barcelona for the opening day of the races and told the Catalan news agency that they had come “to get to know the event and watch the races in person”.

When asked about the criticism of the event by some locals, Xavier Pérez acknowledged that such a large-scale event could “annoy” locals, but also reiterated that it “gives potential to the city and to Catalonia”.

First day of action

Switzerland defeated the French in the opening race before the Italian team had mixed feelings.

First, they had to abandon the second match race of the day against New Zealand very early after losing control of the boat due to an electrical problem. However, they later recovered and won the final race of the day against France.

In the third game, American Magic defeated the British team.

This week Preliminary regatta While they will not count towards the rankings for the main competition, which begins on August 29, it will be the teams’ first opportunity to test their own skills on the water in a competitive environment off the coast of Barcelona, ​​and also the first time they will scout out their opponents.

This week the participants meet for the first time in the AC75 Yacht Class in over three years, as up until now only the AC40 has been used in the warm-up races. The AC75 is a much bigger, heavier and faster boat that is sure to captivate the fans.

Locals for and against

Among the spectators were many local residents who, like Dolors, enjoyed a day at the beach “and then I saw the boats,” she told this media outlet, knowing that the pre-regatta would begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday.

“I’m really excited to experience the sailing cup in Barcelona as it is the host city,” she said. Dani Cañas, a member of the sports club Club Natació Barcelona, ​​​​who has been watching the sailing teams train, agrees.

The America’s Cup is very positive for a city like Barcelona or any other coastal city,” he said, as more and more tourists are arriving just to watch the World Cup.

Unlike Dani and Dolors, some locals believe that the event is only for the elite. For this reason, the civil society group No a la Copa Amèrica is calling for a Protest on September 7.

“We want a big demonstration” to remind everyone that these sites should be a priority for residents, and not for multimillionaires“, Irma Samayoa, spokeswoman for the group, told the Catalan news agency (ACN).

Transformation of the Port Olímpic

With the designation of Barcelona as host city for the America’s Cup, plans to redevelop many parts of the port area were accelerated in order to complete them in time for the competition.

This is the case of the Port Olímpic district, which has been completely transformed over the past year. 20,000 m² Area that has been redesigned for the locals to give them back their connection to the sea.

Highlights include a new Promenade Viewpoint overlooking the sea, which attracted hundreds of fans on the first day of racing in the America’s Cup.

The old bars and restaurants that had previously been located there were removed to make way for other commercial premises and new catering establishments.

The first restaurant to open in the area is Casa Carmen, which specializes in local Catalan cuisine. In total eleven new restaurantsIn the “Gastronomic Balcony” some of Barcelona’s best restaurants and three shops will open their new locations.

In addition to a gastronomic offer, the new premises will also accommodate municipal sailing clubs and establishments and promote sustainable economic activities related to the sea, such as the sale and rental of electric boats, a shop specialising in light sailing equipment and various companies working on technologies for powering sailing through solar panels and improving water quality.

Overall, the sea-related economic activity in the region is expected to 200 new jobs.

Barcelona “can be seen in every home in the world”

The America’s Cup is also an opportunity for the city to present itself as one of the best places to sail in the world.

“We will be seen in every home in the world,” said the general director of the Barcelona Nàutica Foundation, Ignasi Armengol, at a meeting at the start of the competition, which took place in a newly designed leisure area of ​​the Port Olímpic waterfront in the Catalan capital.

Armengol pointed out that the television audience comes from all over the world: “New Zealand will go to sleep watching the daytime show and the United States will watch it at breakfast.”

Laia Claverol, head of Barcelona’s city council, stressed that the America’s Cup was a “challenge” because it was the first time it would be held in an urban port and had to take place in parallel with the city’s daily business.