Four men’s and four women’s national teams gathered at the Deodoro Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a November test event and technical rehearsal for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The Dow Chemical Company is contributing its resin expertise to the competition, ensuring a high-performance surface for the Olympic hockey tournament in Rio. Dow is a worldwide Olympic Partner and the official chemistry partner of the Olympic Games. The warm up also marked the unveiling of an important component of Rio 2016’s visual identity – the colors of the field of play. The Rio 2016 Organizing Committee and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) opted for a blue pitch with green sidelines – a color pattern that matches Rio 2016’s visual identity and reflects the vivid spirit of the first Brazilian Olympic Games.
Rio 2016’s hockey competition will be played on an innovative synthetic turf system which uses Dow’s linear low density Dowlex polyethylene resins in the yarn component as well as Dow’s polyurethane technologies. The system is designed to deliver enhanced durability for increased pitch life and a higher performing and consistent field of play throughout the busy Olympic competition schedule.
The playing performance and quality of the pitch were a primary concern when developing the hockey turf system for Rio 2016 – but so was the appearance. The tufted samples were inspected by Rio 2016’s venue management and ‘look of the games’ teams, as well as the FIH and the Olympic Broadcast Service (OBS), to ensure the selected colors met the specific requirements for players, officials, spectators and broadcasters alike.
“We are thrilled that Dow’s solutions and experience in supplying materials for world-class playing surfaces are setting the stage for one of the world’s most anticipated competitions in Rio,” commented Nathan Wiker, global marketing director for Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “Hockey is a fast game. The colors of the pitch will allow the spectators in the stadium and on television to follow the action more clearly because of the deeper contrast between the ball and the pitch.”
The Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to take place at the Olympic Hockey Centre in the Deodoro Olympic Park from August 6 to 19, 2016. It will feature the 12 best men’s and women’s teams from around the globe. The complex will include two competition pitches and one warm-up area.
December 11, 2015
