LONDON, Oct. 7, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) on Monday unveiled London's Olympic Stadium and presented the track on which all track and field competitions will take place during the 2012 Olympics. The state-of-the-art Mondotrack was manufactured by Mondo S.p.A. the global leader in the sports flooring market.
At the event, British athletes slated to compete at the 2012 Games tried out the new Mondotrack surface. They were joined by local schoolchildren, who will benefit from LOCOG's plan to adapt the stadium for local sports, community and cultural events following the Olympics. In addition to track and field events, the 80,000-seat facility will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games' opening and closing ceremonies.
The eight-lane, 400-meter, classic red Mondotrack, which was laid in August, will provide a fast surface for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Mondo also is installing two other tracks made of the same state-of-the-art rubber surface: an 80-meter sprint straight under the stands, and a 400-meter training track identical to the competition track, which will be laid soon near the stadium.
Mondotrack was designed to provide optimal traction and a greater contact area than other tracks. It converts the maximum amount of force generated by athletes' foot strikes to energy for maximum energy return, which helps athletes achieve faster times compared to running on other surfaces. Mondotrack also provides excellent athletic comfort and maximum safety with the optimum blend of speed and comfort to accommodate both high-level competition and training venues.
The London Games will be the 10th consecutive time Mondo has been the official track supplier for the Olympic Games. Five world records were set on the Mondotrack at Beijing in 2008.
"We are proud of Mondo's longstanding relationship with the Olympics, and we are pleased to provide the track and athletic flooring that enables the world's top athletes to perform at their very best during the biggest competition of their lives," said Federico Stroppiana, vice president, strategic development, Mondo Group.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the sports and contract flooring markets, manufacturing flooring surfaces for virtually every application. More than 1,100 Mondo tracks and 800 Mondo artificial turf fields are installed worldwide. The official supplier of the athletic track for the past nine Olympic Games and the upcoming 2012 London Olympics, Mondo also is the official supplier or official sponsor of more than 100 sports federations and associations.
The company supplies a wide variety of commercial flooring, and it is the world's largest producer of sports and toy balls with an average daily production of 450,000 units. In addition, it manufactures large luxury yachts under its Mondo Marine division.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo sells its products in more than 196 countries. The company's global headquarters are in Italy, and it has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. More information about Mondo is available at mondoworldwide.com.
Mondo is a registered trademark of Mondo.
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