Anella Olímpica

Barcelona City Council's Government Commission has given the go-ahead to the final project for providing the Olympic Ring with a photovoltaic facility for self-consumption  

Covering 2,300 m2 with a power of 430 kW, it will be installed on the Sant Jordi Club roof and enable the generation of 655,000 kWh every year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 200 city households 

The Olympic Ring is making progress in its commitment to sustainability. Barcelona City Council’s Government Commission has given its approval to the final project for installing photovoltaic panels on the Sant Jordi Club roof. 

Intended exclusively for self-consumption, the panel will help to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases in all the Olympic Ring facilities and start the journey on the road to energy self-sufficiency. It is also an important step by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) in its commitment to reducing the generation of CO2 in all its buildings.  

The photovoltaic facility, which will be located on the Sant Jordi Club roof, is made up of 896 photovoltaic modules with power of 430 kW. It will cover 2,300 m2 and help to generate 655,000 kWh a year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 200 city households.

The energy generated by these and other photovoltaic panels yet to be installed at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium will cover practically the entire ordinary energy consumption of all the Olympic Ring buildings, guaranteeing an annual saving of 89.1 tonnes of CO2. It will therefore be a giant leap forward in the Olympic Ring’s ecological transition and greening strategy. 

The Sant Jordi Club photovoltaic facility has a budget of 610,000 euros and will be ready in under a year. 

A further step forward in the Olympic Ring’s commitment to the environment

Installing the photovoltaic panels is one of the projects being pushed by the Olympic Ring to reduce the environmental impact of its activity. It follows others already carried out or in progress in the field of energy, such as the gradual installation of LED lighting and the replacement of air-conditioning equipment with new, more efficient models, reducing consumption in the last 10 years by around 35%. 

The Olympic Ring also actively promotes selective waste collection and recycling during the events it holds, putting special emphasis on eliminating single-use plastics and replacing them with compostable or reusable material. 

Furthermore, whenever possible, the circular economy is encouraged by donating recyclable material to social organisations. 

The Olympic Stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi and the Sant Jordi Club are due to play host to 140 events in 2023, receiving 1,400,000 visitors in the process, double this year’s number   

It will be a record year for the Olympic Stadium, the venue for eight concerts featuring Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Harry Styles and The Weekend 

This season, the Olympic Stadium will also host matches involving Futbol Club Barcelona’s first team, while its regular facilities are being remodelled   

The Olympic Ring is set for a record year in 2023. Over the course of the year, the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi and the Sant Jordi Club will host more than 140 events with more than 1,400,000 visitors in attendance, practically double the number this year. In fact it is a decade since they achieved that figure. 

Worth particular mention is the growth in the number of concerts. In total, 116 will be held, 60% more than in 2022. What’s more, for the first time in the Olympic Stadium’s 30-year history, it will hold eight musical performances. Coldplay, will play four dates, Bruce Springsteen, two, while Harry Styles and The Weekend will both do one date each. 

Likewise, the Palau Sant Jordi and the Sant Jordi Club will host an impressive number of famous Spanish and international artists. The latter include, Robbie Williams, who will play two dates, Elton John, who will also play two, and The Who, seven years after they last visited Barcelona. Also worth special mention are Blink-182, who are taking to the stage after a 10 year absence, Bad Gyal, Lola Indigo, Maroon 5, Quevedo, Joaquin Sabina, the tour ending concert due to be played by Oques Grasses and La Pegatina, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary with a special tour.  

In addition, 2023 will see the return of classic entertainment in the form of Disney on Ice, Cirque du Soleil and Indoor Trial, as well as new events like the Barcelona Eurovision Party, coming to the Sant Jordi Club for the first time to help it grow.  

A living space open to everyone

The Olympic Ring maintains its commitment to city residents by hosting social. family and educational events. One of the most paradigmatic examples is STEAM Anella, a day of activities to spread scientific knowledge, aimed at students from different schools across Barcelona and the metropolitan area, due to take place at Palau Sant Jordi in February. 

Another event being held is Dansa Ara, a huge contemporary dance gathering aimed at lower secondary school students from across the city, which celebrates its 30th anniversary next year.  

The Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium will be home to FC Barcelona for the 2023-24 season

The cultural, sports and recreational activities scheduled at the Olympic Ring in 2023 will fit in with the matches of Futbol Club Barcelona men’s first team which, from August 2023 and thanks to the agreement between Barcelona City Council, Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM) will be played at the Olympic Stadium.

This will be done in a way that ensures Club's activities are compatible with all the other cultural, sports and civic uses of the Olympic Ring and all other facilities on Montjuïc. 

Barcelona, the setting for major international tours 

The ability to host the number of events and attendees expected in 2023 at the different facilities that make up the Olympic Ring, while accommodating FC Barcelona, is in part thanks to the investments made by B:SM in recent years, which have helped to improve the operational side of the facilities and visitor experience. 

As a result, the capacity of the Palau Sant Jordi has increased to almost 18,500, consolidating the arena’s position as home to some of the biggest events in Spain. This makes it the perfect place to host international tours and has piqued the interest of music promoters when it comes to hosting major concerts in Barcelona.  

The remodelling of the press gallery, the renovation of the outside lighting system, and the roof of the Sant Jordi Club inner courtyard are just a few of the other improvements to the Ring’s facilities.

Recently, the Olympic Ring has also launched its website (palausantjordi.barcelona and estadiolimpic.barcelona), expanding the sections that help people prepare for their visit: tips on arriving at the facilities, a more accessible contact channel and more efficient browsing. In addition, the website provides digital access for minors, a process which, besides speeding up their entrance by cutting out the need to go through two control points on their way in, also improves environmental sustainability, by reducing the amount of print-outs.