Located in the province of Girona (northeastern Catalonia) Banyoles was the first destination certified in Sports Tourism by the Catalan Tourist Agency in 2003. This seal of quality recognises the tourist destination for offering high-quality resources and services aimed at elite, professional, amateur and tourist sportspeople who want to practise sporting activities.

Lake Banyoles is a natural lake with a history of hosting numerous International rowing and canoeing competitions and year round training events. Banyoles became well-known as the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games Rowing venue, and since then it has been a favourite location for training camps, triathlons and rowing events. Over 56 sports events a year, of which over 17 are internationally renowned, Banyoles organized the 2004 World Rowing Championship, the 2007 European University Rowing Championship, the 2009 Rowing World Cup and the 2011 Banyoles ITU Triathlon Premium European Cup.