The 25th Summer Olympics opens in Barcelona, Spain

On 25 July 1992, the 25th Summer Olympics opened in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona was chosen ahead of Amsterdam, Brisbane, Birmingham, Belgrade and Paris who had bid to host the games. The games were also the first to be free of boycotts that had plagued the games since 1972. South Africa took part in the games for the first time since 1960. The country had been banned from participating in international sports events because of its apartheid policies. With apartheid abolished, South Africa was able to send a team to the tournament. The team brought back two silver medals.