Young person running on Maspalomas beach in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

Discover the cities that gave us the most Spanish Olympic medal winners

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The sports infrastructure in Spain is very impressive, with many different clubs, facilities and natural spaces especially designed so you can do any kind of sport 365 days a year. As such, great names in the world of sport are emerging every day in different cities, to represent Spain at the Olympic Games every four years. Barcelona, Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are the Spanish capitals with the greatest number of Olympic medals. But there are also several other cities that have produced a lot of medals: Gijón, Santander, San Sebastián, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Vitoria and Terrassa.

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Barcelona

Barcelona hosted the Olympic Games in 1992. Some incredible buildings were constructed to commemorate the games, such as the Palau de Sant Jordi. Today Barcelona holds the record for the Spanish city with the most Olympic medals. It has always been a great flag-bearer for the athletic spirit that it is known for, and maintains this status by hosting countless spectacular sports events. One of the most noteworthy events is its popular marathon, which is open to everyone. And its success is due to the fact that its route passes through many of the city’s most interesting areas. So if you dare to run it, not only will you be able to enjoy an unbeatable experience, but you’ll also break records for discovering captivating spaces and buildings as fascinating as the Sagrada Familia or Casa Milá.
Madrid

Madrid has witnessed the birth of many great athletes. So much so that it has come to be considered the Spanish city with the best Olympic record: more than 50 medals, including many golds! If you want to experience its competitive talent for yourself, come and enjoy any of the numerous highly competitive, international events that bring together some of the very best Olympic athletes, such as the renowned Madrid Open.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

More than 200 kilometres of coastline and a spring climate throughout the year. These are the two key attributes that make Las Palmas de Gran Canaria a major high-performance centre for outdoor sports, where athletes come from all over the world to train and have a good time, whatever the season, while being in constant contact with nature. Proof of this is the numerous sporting events held in the city, such as the famous Transgrancanaria, which puts thousands of trail runners to the test every year.Many athletes were born in this beautiful island-city as well, using its various beaches as their first sports pitches from an early age. This is because they usually offer services that enable the practice of sports, particularly water sports, as is the case at the beaches of Maspalomas and El Inglés. Many of the medallists born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have come to represent the whole of Spain, in sports such as sailing, synchronised swimming, taekwondo and handball, thanks to their efforts. But they’ve also been helped by its beaches and nature, which are perfect for holding sports competitions throughout the year.