Football silver medallist Fernando Olivella, water polo bronze medallist Juan Luis Abellan and 1500m runner Tomas Barris gathered next door to the stadium at a special event in the Juan Samaranch Olympic Museum to reminisce with Juli Pernas i Lopez, director of the Fundacio Barcelona Olimpica.

Back in the 1950s ,the Mediterranean Games were a new sporting event. They had been established in 1951 and Barcelona’s city councillors were keen to bring more sporting competition to Spain. Over the next few years even the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team would come.

A meeting of the city council approved a bid for the Games to be held in 1955.

“The importance that sport enjoys nationally convinced me of the need to organise an international event of some significance” said Epifany de Fortuny, Baron de Esponella..He travelled to Madrid to present the idea to Spanish leader General Franco,  who was enthusiastic.

Baron De Guell, then International Olympic Committee (IOC)  member in Spain became the first President of the Organising Committee. He did not live to see Barcelona’s Games took place but Samaranch paid a glowing tribute to his role in securing them.

“His great prestige as an IOC member of many years secured the Games. It is his legacy”.

De Guell’s unexpected death was a major blow for the Committee.

At this stage Samaranch was a city councillor with special responsibility for sport .He had organised the World Roller Hockey Championships in 1951 but only joined the Mediterranean Games organising committee as vice-secretary late in the day. He was only 34-years-old but was soon active in promoting the Games and wrote to the Olympic Review with a progress report.

“We have been working for some months and believe our visitors will not be disappointed by our facilities.” he said.

A few weeks later the newsreel cameras rolled as Samaranch visited the Montjuich site to see work in progress including the construction of a new swimming pool close to the stadium and the impressive Palace of Sport. This was a versatile arena which could stage basketball, boxing volleyball, roller hockey, gymnastics or wrestling in front of crowds of up to 10,000.

“What is built will remain for the city afterwards and also give a positive impression of Spain to visitors.” said Samaranch.

He promised that the Games would respect the amateur ideals so cherished by IOC President Avery Brundage and the “magnificent work“ of the Olympic Games.

“Spain looks forward to reinvigorating this meeting of Mediterranean countries," he said. "Their continued celebration will signify that we live in a world of peace."

Barcelona had even bigger ambitions. Lieutenant General Jose Moscardo, President of the Organising Committee claimed: “Our country would be able to organize an Olympiad to equal at least to that of Finland [Helsinki 1952 hosts] and, of course, far exceed the organisation in London [1948]” .

The first team to arrive in Barcelona for the Games were the Egyptians, host nation in 1951. In all, 10 nations took part. To their chagrin, Israel were not invited; neither were any women.

There was to be no Torch Relay for those Games. The IOC had been very concerned about what they called “Abuse of the Olympic symbols.” so they set up a special commission to draw up new regulations.

After the 1952 IOC Session held in Helsinki, the rules for regional games appeared.

“The ceremonies in connection with the Games may be similar to but not identical with those of the Olympic Games.

The Belgian Rodolphe Seeldrayers asked that “there must be no Torch Relay or Flame used.”

A statement from the IOC explained: “It is to be desired that in the future, to preserve the prestige of the Olympic Flame that the right to carry it must be reserved solely, and unconditionally, for the celebration of the Olympic Games.“

Instead the Spanish journalist Carlos Pardo came up with an ingenious idea for “something new and better than in Egypt” a barbed reference to the 1951 Games in Alexandria. His idea perfectly captured the nature of these Games of the Mediterranean. An amphora based on ancient designs was to be used to gather water from the Mediterranean at Empuries, the symbolic site where a community had been established by the Ancient Greeks . This was a site of considerable significance. When Barcelona did eventually stage the Olympics in 1992, it was here that the Flame made footfall on Spanish soil.

The amphora was to be transported by relay to Barcelona. Samaranch took the idea to the Organising Committee for approval.

“Without altering the essentials of the Olympic protocol, we esteem that the second Mediterranean Games brought out a new symbol and were a brilliant achievement.”

On the day before the Games began, Pardo reported from Empuries himself for the Mundo Deportivo newspaper.

“The Mediterranean was calm, like a film of oil with no waves,” he wrote poetically. ”There could not have been a better place than these beautiful ruins for a ceremony which thrilled all who saw it.”

Race walker Alberto Gurt began the relay by dipping the silver jug into the waters of the Mediterranean. It was placed in the ancient amphitheatre where it remained overnight.

At 5.30am the following morning, the first runner left Empuries. It was carried on by runners through Catalonia and finally arrived in the city of Barcelona at half past four in the afternoon.

A fleet of buses carried the spectators up the hillside of Montjuic for the opening ceremony. For the Olympics, escalators were later installed.

Greece led the parade of nations, just as they have done at the Olympic Games since 1928 and after the other countries marched in alphabetical order, Spain were the final team to arrive.

As Samaranch and organising Moscardo watched with pride, the flags of Spain and the Olympic Movement were raised.

Shot putter Alfonso Vidal Quadras took the competitors oath.

“We swear to take part in the Mediterranean Games with pure and sincere affection, abiding by the rules which govern them for the glory of sport and the honour of our countries.”

Lieutenant General Moscardo opened the Games in the name of General Franco and 5,000 pigeons were released across the city

The final runner relay runner was Sebastien Junqueras, destined to reach the 110m hurdles final a few days later. He poured its contents into a vast container beneath the famous stadium clock.

“The fountain came into play, flowing steadily on night and day until sunset on July 25th,” said Samaranch. Some years later in a curious episode, the amphora went missing. When Samaranch became IOC President he offered a hefty financial reward for its recovery, but to no avail...

The sporting action began that night in the Palace of Sports. Most events were familiar to Olympic audiences but the programme also included rugby and Samaranch’s old favourite sport of roller hockey.

The athletics programme began with the marathon runners headed away from the Chateau de Montjuich towards the Plaza Espana, a route still used to this day for mass running events in Barcelona. When they returned some 26 miles later, it was Egyptian Kerim Abdul who led the way.

Another North African made his mark on the track, though he wore the vest of France. Alain Mimoun had been haunted by the great Czechoslovakian runner Emil Zatopek at the Olympics, but free of his nemesis at the Mediterranean Games, he retained both long distance titles.In the 5,000 m he was particularly dominant. At one stage he was 30 yards ahead of the field and set a Games record. Italy’s 1948 Olympic champion Adolfo Consolini shattered the discus record three times on the way to his gold medal.

In gymnastics Joaquin Blume gave the home crowd something to shout about with six individual gold medals and Olympic champion fencer Christian D’Oriola won the foil for France.

On the final afternoon, Montjuich was converted into an equestrian course for the Grand Prix Show Jumping. The Italians won gold and then, as dusk came, the participating teams paraded one last time at the Closing Ceremony and as the new Olympic hymn by Michel Spisak was played .

The fountain, by now illuminated, ceased to flow.The Games were over.

IOC President Avery Brundage had been represented by his vice-president, the Frenchman Armand Massard.

“I salute our friend Samaranch “ he told the assembled gathering at the gala dinner. ”Spain can be very proud of these Mediterranean Games.

"After living with you for two weeks, I can state that everything has demonstrated that Barcelona is a city capable of carrying out the organisation of the leading Olympic Games one day. “

It was to be another 37 years before the Olympic dream came to fruition for his city but this success thrust Samaranch the sports administrator into the international spotlight. It helped that Massard had been accompanied by his countryman Francois Pietri and other fellow IOC members Taher Pacha from Egypt and both Angelo Bolanaki and Ioannis Ketseas from Greece. All no doubt reported back in glowing terms.

“This event was not held with a view to break records or achieve results with an idea of rivalry,” wrote Samaranch

“It was an educational manifestation, rallying peoples as in ancient times around the shrine of Youth.”

Samaranch became even better known to the Olympic family as Chef de Mission for Spanish teams over the next few years. Although his country did not attend the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Samaranch made sure the Olympic flag flew above Montjuich at the time of the Games in a gesture of solidarity. Finally in 1966, his candidacy for IOC membership was supported by Avery Brundage himself. Samaranch recalled the episode to me some 20 years later.

“In theory, there should have been only one member in Spain but Avery Brundage told me 'one day, you will be President'.”

The Olympic Games finally came to Barcelona in 1992. The stadium at Montjuich was the shining jewel and Samaranch took centre stage with King Juan Carlos.

In two years from now Catalonia will welcome the Mediterranean Games again when they take place in Tarragona.