Tennis Center Takes First Step to Completion

(ATR) International Tennis Federation vice president Juan Margets tells Around the Rings the Olympic Tennis Center "can be the sparkle" of the Olympic Park .

Tennis holds the distinction as the first venue tested from the Olympic Park where organizers look to test the courts and scoring systems, although the venue is still not completed.

Margets said that the federation has been pleased with the progress made on the center in the last "weeks, or days even," which has led to dramatic improvements in the one-time delayed venue.

"All the sport element of the venue were finalized, courts, so the outcome is very positive," Margets said to ATR.

"We felt with Rio 2016 organizers that it was going to be beneficial to test the facility now. It has been a huge positive outcome to test and to verify things and check things in real life and not in plans, so with eight months ahead there are no concerns."

Margets added that for the sport is excited to be back in the Olympic Park following the 2012 Olympic tournament at the All England Club in London.

After the Games, the 10,000 seat stadium will be able to host ATP and WTA tier one tournaments, the only facility in Brazil to hold that distinction.

"If we go back in history Brazil has a strong, very strong tradition in tennis," Margets added. "A top level facility will certainly help the top of any program in tennis."

With eight months left to finalize preparations, the IOC and Rio 2016 say they are firmly on the timeline for completion. IOC watchdog Gilbert Felli said to ATR that as the organizing committee finalizes the budget and timeline review, "we expect the timing is good," for the last push on venue construction.

"They’ve done a lot of work outside the venues and you can start to see, we are happy with the progress there," Felli said. "[Opening the Tennis Center] demonstrates that you achieved something and also it gives the fact that the Olympic Park is going to be one of the heart of the Games and start to push the momentum forward."

Rio 2016 Sports Director Rodrigo Garcia said that the first Olympic Park test event was, "perfect, really," and that testing the unfinished venue was planned. One aspect of the venue that must be installed is the lights for broadcasts. Like many aspects of the park, it will be installed in the months prior to the Games to keep costs down.

"We have to finalize the fit out of the venue so we are using a lot of areas that will be used during games time," Garcia said to ATR.

"This venue is not an isolated venue it is inside a Park, so all the other work around the venue influences here. Pathway and flow for spectators is completely different than the one that we are using today and this is expected in the planning phases around the completion of the park.

"We have a final meeting today with the ITF and all the feedbacks on the briefs have been really great, and the feedback from the athletes is very good. I don’t think they are very concerned."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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