London's Olympic track comes from Mondo
ERJ staff report (DS)
London -- The running track for the London Olympic Games has been inaugurated. The rubber track is the tenth Olympic track supplied by Mondo SpA of Alba in Northern Italy.
The Mondo track, which was laid during August, will provide a fast surface for Olympic and Paralympic athletes during competition in 2012. The same 13.5mm deep surface has been laid for the 80m sprint straight under one of the main stands and a 400m training track near the stadium will be laid shortly. Mondo said the athletes loved the large size of the track, which will cover around 16,000m2 when the final elements are laid.
Athletes will compete on the Mondotrack FTX, the surface borne out of research by Mondo, on which numerous medals have been won, and which was used during the 2008 Summer Olympics. As on that occasion, the track will be tailored to meet the specific requirements of both the London Olympic stadium and the English climate.
Mondo said, "the products provided are environmentally friendly throughout all stages of their life, from production, which uses recycled raw materials, through to their disposal."
The company's project manager, Joe Hoekstra, said the vulcanised rubber had been brought from Italy in 15 metre rolls and “laid out like a jigsaw puzzle to make sure the joints are invisibleâ€.
To further meet the goal of “zero-waste Olympics†proposed for London 2012, Mondo has also agreed to provide some of the materials on a rental basis, and has pledged to reassign them after the event for further use."
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Press release from London Olympics
Press release from Mondo
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