Gerflor Taraflex®, world leader in PVC-based synthetic indoor sports flooring manufacturing, with more than 30 million square meters (about 325 million square feef) installed worldwide, is bringing its expertise to the world's greatest sporting event. Gerflor, through International Table Tennis Federation and International Volleyball Federation agreements, will supply courts for volleyball and table tennis tournaments during the next Olympic Games in Beijing. With 14 volleyball courts in seven different locations and two table-tennis sites, there will be over 15,000 square meters (about 160,000 square feet) of Gerflor Sports Flooring making its mark at these key events. Gerflor products have been featured at the Summer Olympics since Montreal in 1976. Gerflor has once again met the two major conditions for selection as an official supplier of sports equipment: being recommended to the local organizing committee by international federations and, secondly, by being chosen by that same committee for offering a global and made-to-measure implementation solution. In response to the needs formulated by the BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games), Gerflor presented a partnership solution specifying its responsibilities in terms of manufacturing, delivery, installation, full technical assistance, and subsequent dismantling of the prestigious volleyball and table-tennis courts. Before each Olympiad, the Olympic Games organizing committees carry out test events, which serve as a general rehearsal for each sport. To assist, the Gerflor team went to Beijing to carry out a complete technical inspection of each site. These visits uncovered several problems with accessing some of the sites, which needed to be addressed to ensure the proper handling and installation of the floors. Gerflor’s long experience with this type of event proved invaluable and makes a key contribution to the success of the games in general. Table-tennis test event (December 2007): On the University of Beijing site Two halls dedicated to competition and training with a surface area of 2,175 square meters (about 23,000 square feet) Courts installed in two days by the Gerflor team consisting of two technicians and six assistants. Two Chinese technicians trained to properly maintain and remove the floor after the event. Volleyball test event (April 2008): In the Beijing Institute of Technology and Beijing Stadium sites Four halls dedicated to competition and training Surface area: two competition courts (36 x 21 meters; 118 x 69 feet) and four training courts (two courts were 36 x 21 meters, 118 x 69 feet; and two were 24 x 15 meters; 79 x 49 feet) The Gerflor team, made up of two technicians and six assistants, installed the court in nine days. Gerflor has locations worldwide with offices in the United States and Canada.
