Lisbon

Lisbon, the capital of Portugal on the banks of the Tagus, was the European Capital of Sport 2021, in a handover from Málaga. It was the first Portuguese city to receive the title, which it won in 2017 by beating The Hague in the final round. The city council backed the bid with a 26-million-euro investment in sports facilities and the creation of an observatory to monitor physical activity among young people, adults and the over-55s. The programme, under the motto 'Lisboa Inspira', was designed as 52 weeks of sport — a requirement of the award itself — with a Sport Congress, a Sport Gala and even its own anthem composed by singer Cuca Roseta. The philosophy, in its mayor's words, was to use the title to get more Lisboners into sport at every level, building on the regeneration of the city's riverfront.