Located at one of the most southern points of China, on the tropical island of Hainan in the South China Sea, the city of Sanya is a popular holiday destination among both domestic and foreign tourists. Covering some 1,919km2, the city offers a unique view of the surrounding mountains and the ocean, as well as blue skies and acoconutscented sea breeze. Rich with culture, the area boasts a diverse population of some 445,000 people living there. Sometimes referred to as a glimmering pearl in the Azure Ocean, Sanya is well known for beach and water sports, and in 2011 the city further expanded its sporting facilities with the opening of the Sanya Sports Center.
The Olympics-standard venue is designed to seat 16,000 people, and also features a 3,000-seat indoor stadium and an eight-lane swimming pool. In early 2011, Guangzhou Topthink was contracted to build a professional track around the main playing field. Although a great opportunity for the company, it was a job that came with many challenges. As it is a tropical city by the sea, Sanya is hot and humid all year round. This in itself creates problems when it comes to the construction of a high-quality track and field. Topthink therefore devised a number of practical and innovative solutions, paying particular attention to the track design and choice of materials.
After weighing up the pros and cons of traditional polyurethane and newer prefabricated materials, the facility owner decided to choose a prefabricated track – a Topthink Protrack which has been designed to meet high standards of quality, cost-effectiveness and superior aesthetic requirements, all at once. Constructed from natural and synthetic rubber, the track is also environmentally friendly – an essential prerequisite for a beautiful tourist city.
Although the top layers of the track are constructed from high-density raw materials that are resistant to wear and abrasion, the base layers are microporous elastic materials that create flexibility and spring-back capability. During the installation, the local climate as well as customised requirements had to be carefully considered. A special treatment was applied to all the seams, while antioxidants were added to the surface layer that enable the track to withstand the hot, humid weather and will extend the life of the installation.The stadium was completed in July 2011 and its design fits harmoniously into the surrounding landscape, while simultaneously standing out as an architectural highlight of the city.
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A grand event
On 25 September 2011, the professional track embraced its first grand event – the National College Championships in Athletics (NCCA), one of the largest national college sport events in China, and a place where national athletes for track and field are selected. More than 1,500 college athletes from 117 institutions competed fiercely on Topthink’s professional track for four days in the Sanya Sports Center. After the games, in fact, athletes expressed how impressed they were with the new track, many commenting that it enabled them to perform to the best of their ability. Sanya Sports Center was constructed in full compliance with the Chinese Athletes Association (CAA) first-class standards. “The track is highly suitable for track and field, and is definitely a highlight among the athletic fields of southern China,” concludes Li Rongde, a senior judge in the development department of CAA.
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