Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich in the fast lane

New “Piste Magique“ for track and field athletes

The Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich is used by the football clubs “FC Zürich” and “GC Zürich” as well as by the “Leichtathletik Club Zürich“ athletics club. An annual highlight is the “Weltklasse Zürich” athletics meeting, where the world’s best track and field athletes compete. With a view to hosting the Wanda Diamond League finals, the track will be upgraded to the latest technology and completely renewed in 2021. The high-tech Conipur Vmax material from the Swiss company Conica AG will be laid over a total area of 7,600 m². In 2020, Joshua Cheptegei from Uganda broke the 16-year-old world record over 5,000 metres on this material at the Stade Louis II in Monaco.

Modern athletics is enormously dynamic. It demands the utmost from athletes in terms of training programmes, nutrition and behaviour. The same applies to the materials used, be it sports equipment or the surfaces on which the sport is played. In order to meet these high demands, the decision was made to use Conica track technology at the Letzigrund Stadium in 2021, just as in 2006 and 2014 (retop).

The stadium, built in 1925, was dismantled in 2006 to make way for a new building, which was inaugurated in summer 2007. Even then, Conica had installed the athletics running tracks. Now, after 14 years, including one retop, the running surfaces are due for renewal. This is because the major event “Weltklasse Zürich” is scheduled for 9-10 September 2021, at which track and field athletes from all over the world will compete. So far, 25 world records have been set at this event.