Whenever Spain has planned an Olympic Games, it has always counted on Valencia. The capital of the Turia has been proposed on several occasions throughout history as a sub-venue for Olympic competitions within the framework of the Olympic Games.
The first successful and unique proposal to date was during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when the Mestalla stadium hosted some soccer matches.
It would not be until almost 20 years later when the name of Valencia would be heard again for a Games. In the Madrid 2016 and Madrid 2020 bids, Valencia was proposed as a sailing sub-venue following the success of the 2007 America’s Cup held in the city.
On no occasion did Madrid manage to win out as the host city (Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo were the cities chosen). At the time of the bid, Valencia had 90% of its sailing facilities completed due to its involvement in the America’s Cup, which renovated the entire dock of the port of Valencia and the Marina.