The remodeling of the Palau d’Esports to once again become an icon of Barcelona sport and a center of innovation and technology, will be the subject of debate at REACT 2022, with the presence of Johan Cruyff Institute on the panel of experts
From March 30 to April 1 at Disseny Hub Barcelona, Barcelona City Council is organizing the second edition of the REACT 2022 conference, aimed at discussing the economic revitalization of the city with a view to the 2030 Agenda. The sports industry plays a key role in this recovery objective, and the remodeling of the Palau d’Esports is one of the most significant action plans. Mariël Koerhuis, general manager of Johan Cruyff Institute, will be part of the panel of experts who, under the title ‘Palau d’Esports, a Barcelona sports icon: the new sports paradigm’, will delve into how to diversify the economy and focus on innovation to achieve, from a sporting perspective, a more competitive, sustainable and equitable Barcelona, adapted to the challenges of ecological and digital transition.
From the growth of the eSports sector as a new form of consumption, to the application of artificial intelligence in sports broadcasting, or the monitoring of physical performance and the management of sporting events, the conjunction between innovation, technology and sport is becoming increasingly present and is opening up a huge range of opportunities for the future.
With the ambition of becoming a world reference in this new paradigm, Barcelona aims to remodel the Palau Municipal d’Esports and turn it into a facility not only capable of hosting innovative events that enhance the spectator experience, but also of consolidating itself as a laboratory for new solutions applied to the world of sport, while integrating its headquarters Barcelona Sports Hub. This session will explore the potential offered by new trends in technological innovation linked to sport for the city, as well as the opportunities that the new Palau Municipal d’Esports project offers to the local and metropolitan productive fabric.
The panel will take place on April 1 at Disseny Hub Barcelona (from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.) and, in addition to Mariël Koerhuis, will include Jaume Collboni, deputy mayor of Barcelona City Council, Oriol Querol, director of Kosmos Studios, and Mari Carmen Fernández, director of innovation at Mediapro Group, and will be moderated by sports journalist Olga Viza. “Sports tech offers great opportunities for our industry and for the city of Barcelona. If we put the three concepts together, it creates an explosive mix for the future development of the city and sport. The talent we are training will be key to its success,” says Mariël.
“Sports tech offers great opportunities for our industry and for the city of Barcelona. The talent we are training will be key to its success” -Mariël Koerhuis
Palau Municipal d’Esports * Image: Pere Sender Terés. Fons Quaderns d’Arquitectura i Urbanisme / Arxiu Històric del COAC.
The sports center was inaugurated in 1955 to host the Mediterranean Games. Three decades later it was one of the venues of the 1986 Basketball World Championship in Spain and hosted the rhythmic gymnastics and volleyball competitions at the Barcelona ’92 Olympic Games, at which point the Palau Sant Jordi began to take its place as a venue for major sporting events and concerts. The Palau d’Esports, which has been closed for five years due to structural damage, will host the headquarters of the Barcelona Sports Hub, which will bring together companies, large corporations, institutions, start-ups and other technology innovators that develop projects to transform and improve the management and practice of sport. The Barcelona Sports Hub will focus its activity on three areas: high-performance sport; water sports and the promotion of the blue economy; and the practice of sport and the city as a stage for sport.
