A warm opening ceremony for the 16th edition of the BCN Sports Film Festival
The BCN Sports Film Festival officially opened today, Monday, 23 February 2026, its 16th edition with a gala held at the Joan Antoni Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum. Hosted by journalist Mireia Vicente, the ceremony brought together institutional representatives, members of the sports world and audiovisual professionals to welcome a new week of film, sport and culture in Barcelona.
Institutional welcome and international support
During the event, the presence of Abel Garcia, Secretary General for Sport of the Government of Catalonia; Franco Ascani, President of FICTS (Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs); Juli Pernas, trustee of the Barcelona Olympic Foundation and member of the FICTS Executive Committee; Francesc Vives, Councillor for Sport of the City Council of Sant Joan Despí, as well as representatives from the ICEC and the Voluntaris 2000 Association, among other partner organisations, was warmly acknowledged.
The gala featured welcoming remarks by Francesc Terrón, Director of the Barcelona Olympic Foundation (the organising entity of the festival), and Abel Garcia, highlighting the value of sports cinema as a tool for inspiration, education and social cohesion.
A “360º” festival: more venues, more activities, more stories
The 2026 edition presents a selection of 85 films from up to 30 countries, programmed across 39 sessions. The festival maintains its inclusive and educational mission with 7 school screenings, 5 screenings in correctional facilities, 2 educational sessions, and 1 session aimed at professionals in the audiovisual industry. In addition, the BCN Sports Film Festival strengthens its hybrid format: part of the programme will also be available online via Festhome.
This growth is also reflected in participation: 3,200 works were submitted this year. Following an initial selection by the production team, 680 productions were shortlisted for evaluation by the selection jury.
The selection jury takes centre stage
One of the evening’s highlights was the presentation of the selection jury, made up of Agustí Argelich, Juli Pernas, Joan Manuel Surroca and Mireia Vicente. In his speech, Surroca emphasised the jury’s breadth of perspectives and the high level of the submitted works, especially underscoring the strength and quality of the documentaries in competition.
SpotSport 2026: the festival’s official spot is announced
The gala also hosted the award ceremony for the SpotSport contest, endowed with €1,000, which selects the festival’s official promotional spot. This year, 22 entries were submitted, and before announcing the winner, the three finalist pieces were screened:
- Rotorspòrtia, by Arlo Baltà i Tell
- Spot, by Alicia Casado Margarit
- Carrusel Deportivo, by Ulises Rivera
The winning spot for 2026 was “L’Esport viu aquí”, a production by Dries Vanherwegen, who received the prize from Àlex Bescós, Head of Marketing at the newspaper SPORT.
FICTS reaffirms its link with the BCN Sports Film Festival
FICTS President Franco Ascani joined the opening with a welcome message, highlighting the festival’s role within the international network that promotes sport through culture and audiovisual communication.
First screenings… and “Papillon” as a major highlight
To close the ceremony, attendees enjoyed the opening screening session, offering a first glimpse of the tone and diversity of this year’s programme:
- La Bicyclette et la vélo
- Baby-Run
- Papillon (highlighted during the gala as an Oscar contender in the animation category)
- Les effaceurs
The opening concluded with an invitation to keep enjoying the festival in the coming days and to check the programme on the website to book seats in advance and not miss any session.
