Barcelona '92: the Olympic Games of the 4 official languages

Todays marks 30 years since the opening of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, one of the most memorable moments in the history of the #OlympicGames.

At an international event such as this, it is inevitable that a large number of languages will be used in many different situations. The Olympic Charter lays down that the Organising Committee must publish all the obligatory documents in the two official languages of the #IOC (French and English) and the language of the host country.

In the case of Barcelona, given the official bilingual status of the city, not one but two languages had to be added to those of the IOC; and so COOB’92, in agreement with all the institutions involved in the Olympic organisation, decided that the Barcelona Games would have four official languages: Catalan, Spanish, French and English.