Time May Be Running Out for Barcelona : World Cup Snafus Raise Doubts About Readiness for Olympics

A leaking, unfinished stadium, delays in the program of events, poor access, traffic jams, disorganized media facilities and frequent communications snafus are just some of the problems facing the city that will host the 1992 Olympics.

The problems came to light during the three-day World Cup track meet, staged in the stadium that will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies and the track events of the Olympics.

“A lot of things need improving,” said Pasqual Maragall, mayor of Barcelona and president of the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Committee. “But we have enough time. Staging the World Cup was invaluable as a learning experience.”

Yet the difficulties experienced by athletes and the media threw into question the ability of this hospitable Catalan city to stage an event as technically and logistically sophisticated as the Olympics.

Organizers had hoped to use the World Cup to unveil a completely refurbished Montjuic Olympic stadium, a 60,000-capacity arena built in 1929 atop a hill. But work was way behind schedule.

On the first and last days of the three-day event, rain swept through cracks and holes in the stadium infrastructure, flooding the stone walkways and corridors and soaking spectators.

The late arrival of Spain’s King Juan Carlos because of a flight delay on the first day of the competition held up the opening events, throwing worldwide television schedules into chaos. Maragall said that the king was “an integral part of Spanish life” and that competition could not start until he arrived.

Jim Rosenthal, a commentator for Britain’s Independent Television network, disagreed.

“I was amazed they let it happen,” he said. “Their reputation was at stake. The king’s late arrival was no excuse. No warning was given, and I think Barcelona’s image, its ability to handle the big occasion, have been tarnished.”

Rosenthal wasn’t the only reporter who had problems. Many of the 1,200 accredited journalists had difficulty sending stories. Some said they had more problems getting a clean telephone line than they did at last year’s Seoul Olympics.

Maragall said he is working on the problem.

Each day, spectators and reporters were directed to different entrances around the giant stadium. Getting to and from the arena, usually a 10-minute cab ride from downtown Barcelona, often took half an hour or more.

Maragall said that for the Olympics, the volume of private cars in the city center--often bumper-to-bumper during weekday working hours--would be reduced.

Whatever the legacy left by the World Cup, Maragall insisted that Barcelona would be ready for the estimated 400,000 people expected for the Olympics.

“I do not believe our reputation has been tarnished,” Maragall said. “We have three years to appraise the shortcomings. We are aware we are inaugurating a mountain. But we will finish on time.”