This Monday, King Felipe VI received in audience important figures from the political, business and sports spheres during his visit to Barcelona. In the emblematic Albéniz Palace in the Catalan capital, he met with the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, in an event that means recovering the institutional normality of the Barcelona City Council with the Crown since 2006, when the emeritus king Juan Carlos I saw with the then mayor, Jordi Hereu.
The SEAT Executive Committee, headed by the CEO of SEAT and CUPRA, Wayne Griffiths, was also received at the Albéniz Palace. The company’s directors conveyed to the monarch the progress of the ‘Future: Fast Forward’ project, which aims to turn Spain into a European hub for electric mobility.
A renowned sailing fan, the King also met Grant Dalton, CEO of America’s Cup Events and Emirates Team New Zealand, who this past weekend competed in the first preliminary regatta of the 37th America’s Cup held in Vilanova y la Geltrú. In the summer of 2024, Barcelona will host the Copa América sailing event, one of the events with the most audience globally after the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Cup.
Dalton was accompanied at the reception by the vice president of ACE Barcelona, Aurora Catà, in an audience that highlighted the importance of the designation of Barcelona as the venue for the next edition of the America’s Cup in 2024 and that once again highlighted the institutional unity in around the celebration of the America’s Cup in the Catalan capital, which aspires to become a reference venue for the organization of major international events such as the Ryder Cup, the Tour de France or the Final Four of the Euroleague basketball.
The America’s Cup is known for fusing sporting excellence with technological innovation, and Barcelona, as a cutting-edge city, is prepared to make the most of this opportunity to promote its image on a global level.
Felipe VI has also received in audience the Spanish teams that participated in the Fukuoka 2023 World Swimming Championships. Among them are the Spanish artistic swimming team and the men’s and women’s water polo teams, thus reinforcing the commitment of the Crown with the national sports arena.