The Sant Cugat CAR will be modernized with an investment of 10 million euros

The Sant Cugat High Performance Center, known as the CAR, is the largest factory of elite athletes from Spain. Inaugurated in 1987, on the occasion of the designation of Barcelona as the 1992 Olympic venue, it was born as a training and development center for high-level athletes, with the initial challenge of preparing them for the Games. In these 37 years, thousands of athletes have passed through and it has been a world reference – even as a training center for teams from many countries – although it has become smaller and somewhat aged. Starting this year it will undergo a good remodeling.

More efficient

Part of the renovation work will consist of reducing primary energy consumption by a minimum of 30% by improving air conditioning and closures.

The Government of Catalonia has approved an investment of 9,282,500 euros for the rehabilitation and modernization of the facilities, attached to the Department of Esports of the Generalitat, and co-financed by the Higher Sports Council and the Consell Català de l’Esport, in addition to with own resources from the concentrations of teams and selections.

The CAR remodeling work will consist, on the one hand, of reducing primary energy consumption by a minimum of 30% based on five projects: updating and improving the air conditioning and closures of the central building, the residence building and of sports halls; and the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roofs of the two buildings (central and residential).

Regarding the previous order from the Generalitat, the new project now approved by the Government includes two works to solve structural problems of several spaces and buildings of the CAR, worth 2 million euros: the rehabilitation of the facades of the residence (where houses scholarship athletes and concentrations), and the repair of the ceiling slabs of the central building and the 25-meter pool beach.

Reference center

The best Spanish athletes have passed through the CAR, such as the artistic swimming and water polo teams, or historical ones such as Deferr, Sánchez Vicario, García Bragado, Almudena Cid or Alberto Ginés

The Sant Cugat CAR welcomes athletes from around twenty specialties who use its facilities. Regular users are the Spanish water polo and artistic swimming teams, as well as a multitude of swimmers and athletes from various disciplines. Legends of Spanish sport such as Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Gervasio Deferr, Valentí Massana, Manel Estiarte, Jesús Ángel García Bragado, Gemma Mengual, Almudena Cid, Ona Carbonell, Alberto Ginés and Mireia Belmonte have passed through the CAR.

In the Sant Cugat facilities, in addition to having some of the best coaches, technicians, specialists and professionals in medicine and psychology, there are athletics tracks, grass soccer fields, and beach soccer and volleyball fields available for athletes. -beach, one outdoor pool and one indoor pool of 50m, another of 30m for artistic swimming, one of 25m and another for diving, three clay tennis courts and four indoor ones, covered sports halls, climbing room, gymnastics room artistic, taekwondo, wrestling, ping-pong, multipurpose and for physical preparation.