The Catalan capital remains firmly committed to the development of an e-sports center in Montjuïc. Although the initial project announced an investment of 40 million euros and the start of construction in 2024, some setbacks have altered the planned schedule and budget.
The conversion of the former Palau Municipal d’Esports, located at the foot of Montjuïc, into the innovative Barcelona Sports Hub is at the heart of this initiative.
The proposal, announced by the now mayor of the city, Jaume Collboni, during the ReAct conference in April 2022, aimed to transform the space into a center dedicated to innovation and technologies applied to sport, with a special focus on e-sports.
The municipal government maintained its commitment to carry out the project, but the estimated budget and, above all, the schedule have undergone significant changes.
Despite the adjustments, City Hall sources assure that the project is still on track. The municipal government is working to have a functional plan ready by 2024, a step prior to the drafting of the executive project and the start of construction.
However, the reality is that the current schedule does not envisage the start of the works before the final stretch of the 2023-2027 municipal term.
Barcelona Sports Hub: an investment in the future of e-sports
The Barcelona Sports Hub aims to be a benchmark in the field of innovation and technologies applied to sport, focusing on e-sports.
The initial investment of 40 million euros reflects the ambition to convert the former Palau Municipal d’Esports into a modern and technological space. This project also has an extension at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, where it is planned to establish an incubator for start-ups in the sports tech sector.
The Collboni government’s approach is to encourage maximum public-private collaboration. It is expected that the Barcelona Sports Hub, once remodeled, will not only generate its own activity but also be economically viable.
The initiative seeks not only to embrace the future of e-sports but also to maintain a space dedicated to traditional sports uses.
Project challenges and delays
While the vision of the Barcelona Sports Hub is promising, the reality presents challenges. The chosen location, the Palau Municipal d’Esports, is a pavilion with almost 70 years of history and 15 years of inactivity since the closure of the Barcelona Teatre Musical in 2000.
This space has served as a shelter for homeless people, and its reconversion poses architectural and functional adaptation challenges.
The level of protection C (Good with elements of interest) assigned to the Palau Municipal d’Esports further complicates the intervention in the building.
Any modification is subject to the obligation to preserve the volumetry, facades and interior elements of interest.
