The Olympic Tennis Centre (Portuguese: Centro Olímpico de Tênis) is a tennis venue located in the Barra Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The centre hosted tennis events of the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the wheelchair tennis events of the 2016 Summer Paralympics. The centre was built on the site of the former Nelson Piquet International Autodrome.
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| Location | Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
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| Coordinates | 22°58′44″S 43°23′47″W / 22.978822°S 43.396382°W |
| Capacity | 18,000 total for the three show courts 10,000 (Maria Esther Bueno Court) 5,000 (Show Court 1) 3,000 (Show Court 2) 250 (Match Courts) |
| Surface | Hard (GreenSet Grand Prix Cushion) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2013 |
| Opened | 2015 |
| Construction cost | R$162.8m |
| Architect | Gerkan, Marg and Partners Schlaich Bergermann Partner |
| Tenants | |
| Tennis events for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and wheelchair tennis events for the 2016 Summer Paralympics | |
History
editConstruction
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The centre was designed by architect Gerkan, Marg and Partners, along with Schlaich Bergermann Partner.[1]
The centre consists of a tennis stadium and 15 ancillary courts.[2] The center court has a capacity of 10,000, with the two temporary arenas with a capacity of 5,000 and 3,000 respectively.[1] The surface will be hard court, supplied by GreenSet.[3][4][5]
Construction started in 2013 and was completed in 2016. However, the stadium faced numerous hurdles during construction. The biggest of these was when the city of Rio de Janeiro canceled the construction contract 200 days before the start of the games and finned the consortium responsible for delays 11 million reais ($2.7 million).[6]
Opening
editIn December 2015, the centre court was named after Maria Esther Bueno, a former Brazilian tennis player, who became the first woman ever to win all four Grand Slam doubles titles in one year.[7] This also marked the first ever event to be held at the Barra Olympic Park, which saw 75 Brazilian tennis players take part in a competition.[8]
Legacy
editIn July 2021, it was announced that the centre would be auctioned to the private initiative. However, as of August 2024, it is still managed by the federal government, through the Ministry of Sports.[9]
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed that, 20 years after the last Davis Cup match played in Rio de Janeiro, the Olympics Tennis Centre is set to host Brazil's match against Germany in the 2022 Davis Cup qualifying round.[10][11] It also played host to the Rio Tennis Classic ATP Challenger Tour event in December 2021.
In 2023, Mayor Eduardo Paes, in an interview with the Cartolouco youtube channel,[12] highlighted that, although the Main Court is one of the best-preserved facilities, the arena is underutilized, with no regular athlete training projects or frequent use by the population, emphasizing that the responsibility for management lies with the federal government and sports confederations. According to Rodrigo Gouveia, a representative of the Ministry of Sports, the legislation prevents the concession of the space to private companies, which limits the options for its use. Discussions about transforming the arena into a space for eSports events, covering the existing structure, are still on the agenda. However, the attempt to hold competitions such as the Rio Open was once again frustrated due to the incompatibility of the floor with the requirements of the tournament, which takes place on clay courts.[13][14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Olympic Park Rio 2016 - Tennis Venues". www.sbp.de. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Olympic Tennis Centre". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 3 July 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ Games Tennis legacy may leverage the sport after the “Age of Guga” Archived 2015-01-14 at the Wayback Machine rio2016.com
- ^ Tandon, Kamakshi (14 February 2015). "Nadal surprised at hard-court selection for 2016 Olympics in Rio". Tennis. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ url=http://www.itftennis.com/olympics/venue/barra-olympic-park.aspx Archived 2020-11-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Reuters Editorial. "Rio cancels contract for Olympic tennis center due to delays". U.S. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Fontes, Carol (12 December 2016). "Paes inaugura arena olímpica de tênis em homenagem a Maria Esther Bueno". globoesporte (in Portuguese). Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "Brazil Mastercup proves a masterstroke as tennis venue declares itself ready for Rio". International Olympic Committee. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
- ^ https://ge.globo.com/olimpiadas/noticia/2024/08/07/legado-olimpico-veja-como-estao-as-estruturas-da-rio-2016-oito-anos-depois.ghtml
- ^ "Legado olímpico: Centro de Tênis da Rio 2016 vai para a iniciativa privada". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 23 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "Brasil vai receber a Alemanha pela Copa Davis no Parque Olímpico da Barra". Governo do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QPeITaUt7U
- ^ https://www.lance.com.br/tenis/eduardo-paes-afirma-que-tenta-convencer-rio-open-a-se-mudar-para-centro-olimpico.html
- ^ https://ge.globo.com/olimpiadas/noticia/2024/08/07/legado-olimpico-veja-como-estao-as-estruturas-da-rio-2016-oito-anos-depois.ghtml
External links
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- Olympic Games - Facilities - Barra Region (brasil2016.gov.br)
- Rio de Janeiro Olympic venues map (rio2016.com)
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