... well as a truly planet-embracing event. In Spain he is now seen by most as a hero, in spite of his close links in the past with the Franco dictatorship. Spaniards tend to forgive the sins of public figures once they've reached the requisite age to become beloved septuagenarians. Still fresh in the memory is Samaranch's finest hour, when he announced that his home town of Barcelona was to host the 1992 Olympics. The resulting extravaganza, together with the Expo 92 exposition in Seville and Spain's commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, was seen as the ultimate expression of the modern "New Spain" which had emerged after the dark years of Franco. Juan Antonio Samaranch was born to a well-to-do Barcelona family on July 17, 1920. His father was a self-made textile magnate. From an early age Samaranch showed both an affinity for sports - he tried his ...

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