Bernat Picornell i Richier

Bernardo Picornell Richier (31 December 1883 – 27 September 1970) was a Spanish swimmer and sports leader. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of swimming in Spain since he was the fundamental head behind the organization of its first championship in 1907, the foundation of its first club in 1907, the writer of its first chronicles, and the first president of the Spanish Swimming Federation, a position that he held for over four decades between 1922 and 1968. He was also the main driving force behind the organization of its first water polo match in Spain in 1908. As a young man, he participated in swimming championships in his hometown. He moved to Barcelona in 1905, at the age of 22, where he continued his interest in the world of sports, through which he met Manuel Solé, owner of the Gimnasio Solé, and together, in 1907, they organized the first swimming competition in Spain, which took the name of the Spanish Swimming Championship-Copa Solé. This initiative gave him the idea to found, in the same year, the first swimming club in the history of Spain, the Club Natació Barcelona, which was established on 10 November 1907 at the Gimnasio Solé, settling itself first in the Eastern Baths of Barceloneta and later in the Baths of Sant Sebastià. At the time, aquatic activities in Spain were presented only as a leisure sport, mostly with no competitiveness. However, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, this changed under the influence of Picornell and Solé, the former bringing the experience of having competed in swimming and water polo while the latter stood out in sports practice in a pioneering way, having previously used his gym to host the founding of the football club FC Barcelona in 1899.

Picornell presided over Club Natació Barcelona in an alternative way between 1908 and 1931. In that same year, he organized the first Winter Championship, which from the second edition was called the Christmas Cup, and in 1909 the Easter Grand Prix, tournaments that are still held today. He died in Barcelona on 27 September 1970 shortly after finishing the European Swimming Championships.