Catalonia, a journey between Olympic swimming pools and cities to be discovered
From pools to the Mediterranean sea: facilities and destinations to prepare for the next swimming season
Preparing for a season, organizing a team training camp or perfecting technique requires more than simply finding a swimming pool. In Catalonia, swimmers have the choice between indoor and outdoor aquatic centres in a range of destinations, with services that facilitate the planning of each day. Training sessions set the pace, and once out of the water, each place offers a distinct environment in which to recover energy, unwind and enjoy the time between sessions. The choice of venue begins with the specific characteristics of the pool. In Girona, the GEiEG sports complex features a heated 50-metre pool with a retractable roof and another pool measuring 25 metres. Lloret de Mar has an Olympic-sized 50 by 25-metre pool that allows for various configurations, as does the Club Natació Sabadell, which also offers facilities suitable for water polo. In Calella, the Crol Centre also facilitates the logistics of the stay. Its outdoor Olympic pool is heated and is situated just a few metres from the beach. The gym and weight room complement each training session, while the water area provides a space for recovery. This offer is rounded out by nutrition and medical attention, and additionally, the centre is able to organize nearby accommodation, thus reducing the time spent commuting between the hotel and the pool. The sports tourism offer promoted by the Catalan Tourist Board includes the municipal pools of Hospitalet de Llobregat, the San Cugat del Vallés High Performance Training Centre and the Sylvia Fontana swimming pool in Tarragona. San Cugat offers facilities for swimming, water polo, synchronized swimming and diving, as well as biomechanics, nutrition, sports psychology and physiology services. Adding to this is Hospitalet with indoor and outdoor pools and training rooms. Training can also extend to the sea, thanks to the region’s more than 500 kilometres of coastline. On the Costa de Barcelona, the beaches of Barceloneta and Mar Bella offer settings for long-distance swimming, while Calella makes it possible to alternate pool sessions with practices in the Mediterranean Sea. Vilanova i la Geltrú provides further spots for building endurance in open water. The choice of area and the planning of each session need to be adapted to the sea and weather conditions and the swimmer’s ability.
Outside the pools, each venue offers a distinct setting. After swimming in Girona, visitors can explore the Jewish quarter and admire the houses along the Onyar River. Lloret de Mar boasts the Maritime Museum and the Santa Clotilde gardens; San Cugat del Vallés features the monastery and the streets of the old town. In Tarragona, where the Sylvia Fontana pool hosted trials for the Mediterranean Games in 2018, the urban exploration can extend between the amphitheatre and the cathedral or follow the traces of the city's past. Catalonia is a territory equipped with elite facilities for competitions, water polo and synchronized swimming, all adapted to the demands of peak performance. Teams from around the world choose this environment of excellence to carry out their training and achieve their best times. Location Catalonia is located in the northeast of Spain and borders France, Andorra, Aragón and the Region of Valencia. Its main access points include the Barcelona-El Prat, Girona-Costa Brava and Reus airports; the ports of Barcelona and Tarragona; and the Barcelona-Sants and Camp de Tarragona train stations, connected to the high-speed rail network.