Gallur, from athletics to elite badminton
It’s always a joy to host a world-class tournament, but it is also a great responsibility. The best professionals need to be recruited for its organization: referees, umpires, volunteers, equipment, and of course, a venue that meets the expectations of the event. The Spanish Badminton Federation was in the search for a proper venue to host the eighth event of the HSBC World Tour when the Gallur Municipal Sports Center in Madrid undoubtedly appeared as the perfect location after the success of the 2022 European Championships and the great institutional support received from the City Council.
Located in the district of La Latina, in the Los Cármenes neighborhood, Gallur offers a varied range of sports facilities. However, what this facility is truly known for is its impressive indoor athletics track. What? Athletics? What does it have to do with badminton? How can badminton be played on an athletics track? With almost 70,000 m 2 , Gallur will once again transform into a fairy tale. But in this case, it is not a matter of fantasy, but of the hard work of a great team. It is a new challenge after the epic renovation of Gallur for the 2022 European Championships.
Starting from the top, the first step is to darken the hall, also known as the 'blackout' effect. It will be necessary to climb to the heights to cover the natural light entries in the ceiling with black cloth tarpaulins and then, inside, cover the rest of the light entries. This is because the optimal visibility of the shuttlecock is with a dark background. The second step will be to work on the central surface of the facility. The playing surface will be covered with the SDI Sports wooden platform that was already used in the 2022 European Championships. On top of it, the four competition mats and the warm-up area will be deployed. In the rest of the space, 2,500 m 2 of carpet will be spread out as well. For this second step, around 3,500 m of double-sided tape, 100 m of duct tape, and approximately 2,000 ties will be used. It is a precision job to ensure that each piece fits perfectly, and the hall looks its best image. It may seem simple, but just assembling the mats requires precisely join 4 strips of 15.40m by 1.80m, which weigh 400 kg per court. In the third phase, the look and feel of the venue will be completed. Hundreds of meters of banners, vinyl, and other elements make up the event's image, whose hallmark is the iconic bear of Madrid leaning on a giant shuttlecock.
The Madrid Spain Masters will also feature some innovations. A giant screen of 30 meters will stand out over the competition area and display all kinds of content. The hard work will pay off transforming Gallur into a palace for badminton. The audience will be another fundamental factor for the world's best athletes to shine in this stage. This is not an everyday opportunity but can be enjoyed from March 28 th to April 2 nd . Are you really going to miss it?
