Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
With a spectacular opening ceremony on July 23rd, the twentieth edition of the Commonwealth Games officially opened in Glasgow. The third largest multi-sport event in the world, after the Olympics and the Asian Games, held every four years where the best athletes from countries owned by the Commonwealth are engaged. This year the participating countries and 71 sports that assign 17 medals.
One of the most anticipated sports is undoubtedly the Athletics, whose competitions are held in Hampden Park, the legendary football stadium that, for this occasion, has been transformed into a modern arena for athletics. A project that Mondo was directly involved in, as the official supplier of the athletic track and sports equipment inside the stadium.
To transform the temple of Scottish football, the stadium surface was raised by almost two meters, in order to earn the length and width needed to accommodate the track, which was installed section by section, 250 square meters at a time. About eight rows of seats were removed to allow for the installation of the track, positioned very close to the public so that they feel part in every way the performance of the athletes in the competitions. Around the oval, inside the field has been installed lots of grass, laid on a temporary platform made up of 1,000 panels supported by more than 6,000 steel poles. A solution that has never been done before on this scale. In total there was installed approximately 14,000 sqm of prefabricated and pre-tested by Mondo, on which will be held 48 events over the course of seven days. Additional 6000 square meters have been installed at Lesser Hampden, the main heating area for the athletes before the race.
Thrilled about the track and equipment David Grevemberg, Managing Director of Glasgow 2014: "It's great to have the quality of the materials supplied by Mondo so as to provide a first-class platform to shine the best athletes of the Commonwealth." These are the words of Maurizio Stroppiana, Managing Director of Mondo Sport Flooring: "Glasgow has created a system that is not only a feat of engineering, but also an example in the world of environmental and social responsibility. Mondo is proud to be part of it. "
The athletics events will last seven days and many Olympic and world champions will be engaged. Predictions are modeled on those made before each edition of the Olympic Games, with Jamaica, along with England and Australia, safe protagonsita in speed events and African countries favored in the bottom half and bottom. Among the most highly anticipated athletes stand out the names of the Jamaican sprinters and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Starring sure about Mondotrack Hampden Park will also be Mo Farah and David Rudisha: The British athlete, Olympic and world champion, will race the 5,000 and the 10,000 meters; Kenyan athlete, Olympic champion, will race with the underdogs of the 800 meters race.