A world-class athletics hall opened in the peaceful Belgian town of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve in May 2019: the “Centre d’athlétisme de LLN”, a training and competition facility for elite athletes. All the sports surfaces have been made with Regupol from BSW in Bad Berleburg, Germany.

In November 2018, BSW started the installation of the Regupol AG running track system for the competition areas in the hall. The work was completed by February. This all-round track surface already serves stadiums and halls around the world. Seamless, quick and non-slip, it is equally suitable for elite sports and recreational sports – making it ideal for the Centre d’athlétisme de LLN.

Another special feature is that the six lanes are the widest that are approved under the rules of the International Athletics Federation (IAAF). By comparison, the lanes in the athletics hall in Ghent are 90 cm wide, whereas here they are 110 cm. This provides athletes with considerable added comfort. The 1,000 m² area for the outdoor long-jump training facility was installed in-situ using Regupol PD, a sprayed polyurethane coating. The coating has two advantages: quick installation while being budget-friendly – it requires less effort than a wear layer of EPDM granules. The fitness room has an area of 450 m² and is equipped with an elastic, wear-resistant and non-slip Everroll fitness floor.

Top Belgian athletes such as Ismaël Debjani have already extensively tested the hall, and the tracks in particular – and are thrilled. Debjani, the Borlée siblings and Nafi Thiam will use the Centre d’athlétisme de LLN to prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Christian Maigret, Technical Director of the Belgian Athletics Association (LBFA), is even promising “incentives” for the medal table.