Barcelona is a great city for professional sports. The great climate makes it ideal for outdoor activities. Since hosting the Olympic Games in 1992, the city has enjoyed the top quality sporting iinfrastructure built for the most important events. Some of these sporting complexes include athletic and football stadiums, a velodrome, swimming pools, ice rinks and sporting marinas.

The absolute favorite sport in Barcelona is football (soccer). Practically a religion, many of the locals eat, sleep and breathe the sport. The local team, Barca, is one of the best ranked teams in Europe. It competes in the first division of the Spanish Football League. The team really belongs to the sports club called Barca, which actually has teams in different sports. Pau Gasol, a present-day NBA star came from the Barca basketball team. This team also won the 2003 Euroleague.

Barcelona is famous for its castells or human castles. This traditional sport of the Catalan region consists of building human towers that reach amazing heights. The Catalan people are very proud of this custom and consider it a reflection of what teamwork, perseverance and endurance can achieve. Castell contests are a sight to behold.

In Catalonia, bullfighting is not a great favorite, as in the rest of Spain. Sporadic bullfighting events may be staged on the odd Sunday afternoon, but only during the summer.

Would you like to go to a Spanish soccer match? You'll most certainly get the chance while here for a Spanish Language Course in Barcelona.