20th European athetics Championship in BARCELONA

Yesterday, July 26th, was held in Barcelona, the inauguration of the 20th European Championships of athletism. The championship which really started today until next sunday takes place at the same location as the 1992 Olympics Games.

Visitors saw a water show of dance and acrobatics in the Magic Fountain of Montjuic with the under a beautitiful full moon in the Olympic Stadium.
During 70 minutes, a spectacle staged by Hansel Cereza, a founding member of "La Fura dels Baus, the group that designed the Olympic ceremonies, entertained thousands of spectators and reached a moment of great beauty.

The water was the main reason for the ceremony. The director mixed it with dance and sports with music by Nacho Cano, former member of Mecano, and Salvador Niebla, author of the music used in the Spanish synchronized swimming team.









Then we could see a parade ofrepresentatives of the 50 countries participating in the championship, with sounds of the anthem of Europe. Chema Martinez, candidate for the Marathon medal, was the flagship of a Spanish team of 88 athletes.
The Organizing Committee Chairman, José María Odriozola, said that chamionnats held in Barcelona is a good opportunity for the Catalans to enjoy the beauty of the sport in the Montjuic stadium or on the street.


President Montilla closed the ceremony, announced opened oficially the european championships. On sunday the championship will end with a concert of the famous group of Catalan rumba, Troba Kung Fu, in the Avenida Maria Cristina.

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Huge celebration for Spain´s World Cup Championship in Barcelona

Spain erupted with its biggest fiesta in memory Monday when its football team returned to a jubilant nation after winning the World Cup, giving elated Spaniards a break from months of economic gloom and political squabbling as nationalist regions fought for greater autonomy from the central government.
Hundreds of thousands of people -- if not more -- jammed in Barcelona's Plaça Catalunya to cheers from Spaniards decked out in a sea of red and yellow, the colors of the Spanish and Catalonia flag.

While the spotlight was on in Spain, the win led to a rare sight in the Catalonia region's capital of Barcelona: Spanish flags waving side-by-side with Catalonia's own red and yellow flag.
"It has been very strange, but now it is being tolerated," said Saray Lozano, a 31-year-old taxi driver from Barcelona. "If it weren't for football, you might get rocks thrown at you" for displaying Spain's national symbol.
About 75,000 people celebrated the win in Barcelona.

Joan Foguet, a Barcelona-based journalist for the leading Spanish newspaper El Pais, said Catalonia has a "schizophrenic" relationship with the national team -- and attributed the burst of enthusiasm to the fact that the team played well.

"There are seven players from one club – Barcelona – in the latter stages of their quarter-final," writes John McDougall. "I am guessing this is still not the record number of players from a single club one country has fielded at the World Cup finals – or is it?"
Indeed Spain had seven Barcelona players on the field against Paraguay – Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, Sergio Busquets, David Villa and Pedro – for around nine minutes, from the introduction of Pedro from the substitutes' bench on 75 minutes, to the replacement of Puyol with Carlos Marchena on 84.

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