7 Olympics done
Yesterday was the last day of Tokyo 2020 and the completion of Poligras 7th Olympic Games. Congrats to The Netherlands and Belgium for taking home the gold medals. Well played to all the teams, the hockey was awesome.
Our sugar cane turfs looked amazing, and we are delighted that the players and officials were very happy with how they played.
“The Poligras Olympic turfs played brilliantly, and the venue and pitches looked stunning. The players trusted the surfaces which allowed them to showcase their high-speed passing, fluid skills and aerial play - the quality of hockey has been extraordinary. On top of this, the turfs have an excellent sustainability story, created using bio-based materials and requiring less water, helping Tokyo 2020 reach their environmental sustainability targets. We are very happy with the turf and Poligras’ ongoing commitment to hockey.”
The Poligras Tokyo GT (Green Technology) turf has been a huge step change for hockey; our R&D, manufacturing, and installation teams were able to use new materials to create climate positive turf while still ensuring it delivered Olympic quality performance.
Goals on Poligras continue to grow
We are committed to fast and fluid hockey, and the incredible skills and high number of goals prove that our turf was a showstopper.
In Tokyo there were 351 goals in total, a per match average of 3.74 for women and 5.5 for men. This continues a general upward trend in goals at the Olympics:
At Rio 2016, the average goals per match were 3.39 for women, and 4.97 for men
The women’s goals per match average has increased at the last 3 Olympics
Since Beijing 2008, the men’s event has seen a 20% increase in goals per match
These key performance indicators for us show that our turf development continues to help the game be fast and exciting.
Taking hockey to new heights
The Tokyo turf also further supported hockey’s aerial revolution which is taking the game to new levels; the soft fibres allow for the ball to be picked up, and the bounce cushioning means it is easier to control. The first goal by Australia in their semi-final versus Germany shows the box office value of taking hockey to new heights.
We are very proud that 16 of the 24 teams at Tokyo trained on Poligras. In the end, 12 of quarter-finalists and 6 of semi-finalists where ‘Poligras teams’, which shows that preparing on the competition surface pays off.
As we work towards our next innovations for Paris 2024 and beyond to LA 2028, this is something every elite program will be considering.
So, thank you Tokyo for a great Games. We missed the fans but the hockey more than made up for this. We hope that kids and parents around the world have been inspired by the brilliant hockey, we look forward to seeing many new players enjoying this great game.