Barcelona’s annual sporting events

Barcelona is a city that offers a lot in the field of sports. There are a number of major sporting events that take place each year, attracting athletes from all over the world.

Table of Contents

Maratón de Barcelona

The Barcelona Marathon is a marathon race that takes place each year in March since 1978. Starting and finishing at Plaza d’Espanya, the marathon has a course that is 42.195km long. A number of foreign athletes come to Barcelona to participate in this event, which has had winners from countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Brazil, United States of America, Portugal and Kenya.

Formula 1 Gran Premio de España

In recent years Barcelona has become the stage of Gran Premio de España (Spanish Grand Prix), a Formula One race held in the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. One of the oldest races in the world, Gran Premio de España celebrated 100 years in 2013. Some of the world’s most famous pilots have had victories in this event, like Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Emerson Fittipaldi and Ayrton Senna.

Gran Premio de España takes place in May.

Cursa de la Mercè

Cursa de la Mercè is an athletic race that happens each year in the streets of Barcelona. It takes place on a Sunday morning during the second week of September, during Fiestas de la Mercè, one of the most important public celebrations in Barcelona. The 10km circuit begins and ends at Avenida de Maria Cristina, going through famous spots like Plaza España and the Montjuïc mountain.

Cursa de la Mercè is organized by Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, offering free entry for everyone who is has the necessary physical condition to participate.

Concurso de Saltos Internacional de Barcelona

Created in 1902, CSIO is an equestrian event whose name is an acronym for “Concurso de Saltos Internacional Oficial” (International Official Jumping Competition), which later changed its name to Concurso Internacional de Saltos de Barcelona. Celebrated in September, the event usually receives around 90 contestants and 170 horses from all over the world.

Barcelona World Race

Barcelona World Race is a competitive sporting event, a non-stop yacht race that goes around the world. Two-member crews sail on Open 60 IMOCA monohull boats. The first edition of Barcelona World Race took place between 2007 and 2007, the second one between 2010-2011, and the third one between 2014 and 2015.