Rio 2016 to have track laid at athletics stadium in February
The track surface for Rio 2016 is expected to be laid in February at Estádio Olímpico João Havelange well in advance of the August games.
The track surface for Rio 2016 is expected to be laid in February at Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, according to Inside The Games.
The announcement comes 10 days after the organizing committee for the 2016 Olympic Games signed a partnership with Mondo, the world’s leading track-surface supplier. Mondo has provided the Olympics with the competition surface at every summer games since Barcelona in 1992.
“We are in the process of delivering the material and we expect to start installation at the beginning of February,” Andrea Vallauri, head of Mondo’s Sports Division, told Inside The Games.
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The venue is expected to host a test event in mid-May prior to hosting the Olympics in August. The athletics portion of Rio 2016 begins Aug. 12 and concludes Aug. 21.
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In March 2013, the site of the 2007 Pan American Games was closed for repairs after engineers noted the roof was a danger to the public because of “major structural flaws.” The stadium didn’t reopen until early 2015.
The stadium, which is expected to have a capacity of 60,000 during the Olympic Games, will be laid with 16,000 m² of Mondo track including both the competition and warmup areas.
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