A new world of sport
From June 16 Open Camp will offer real sports in the Olympic Stadium
If Hollywood is the Mecca of cinema, Barcelona might well be on its way to becoming a sporting Mecca. Or so says the CEO of Open Camp, Paco Medina, who explains that from June 16 the city's Olympic Stadium will opens its doors converted into a sports park. Open Camp is a singular initiative and the first of its kind worldwide, allowing visitors the chance to feel what it is like to be top-class athlete in a real sporting venue.
“It is not just virtual reality. There is technology but the experiences are real, the feeling is real. For a few minutes you will be able to score a goal against a real goalkeeper or race alongside a professional athlete,” says Medina. To add to the experience, the stadium's loudspeaker system –personalised for each participant– will help immerse the participant in the experience: “Before you start, you will see your flag, hear your name and the music; it's all designed to turn the visitor into the star.”
However, the Open Camp experience is different from a genuine sporting event in one important aspect, warns Medina. The park puts fun and entertainment over and above competition: “Many people do sport to compete, but we aim to give a taste of the feelings you get when actually doing one sport or another, since there are some 20 different experiences to enjoy throughout the day,” he adds.
The park will be open from 10am to 7pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in winter, and the same times every day during the summer months. That is a total of 235 days the venue will be open in the year. During the visit, participants will be offered a choice of itineraries which will cover different sporting experiences. Meanwhile, the sense of competing in a real sporting event will be intensified by monitors in the stands cheering everyone along.
Cultural component
Yet, offering a variety of sports to try, says Medina, is only part of the park's philosophy, as it will also have a cultural component. Part of the Olympic complex is the Olympic museum as well as the world's first Paralympic museum. There are also a number of leisure areas, with restaurants and rest zones, and another section with sports equipment that can be rented or purchased. Finally, in the summer there will be an Opening Ceremony capped off with mapping shows and live performances, including a representation of the Haka, the famous Maori challenge, and a karate master class.
Another aspect the sports park wants to emphasise is the social element. In recent months Open Camp has signed a number of cooperation agreements with different social organisations, such as Creu Roja, Oxfam and ACNUR. One of the first initiatives to take place in the park was in February, when the charity walk Magic Line passed through the Montjuïc facility. The annual charity event organised by the Obra Social Sant Joan de Déu attracted more than 10,000 participants, who got the chance to step foot on the Olympic Stadium's running track. Similar initiatives should become a regular feature of the new sports park in the future.
The admission price to Open Camp is 28 euros, while the family pack works out at 18 euros per person. Organisers say they are looking into the possibility of offering special tickets at a reduced price for returning visitors. The park aims to attract a cross-section of the public, while tourists in the city will also be welcome to join in the fun, hopefully relieving the pressure on some the busiest places in the city by attracting more visitors to the Montjuïc complex.
