Rekortan M at the Pista de Atletismo Municipal Professor Moniz Pereira, Lisbon

A classic in the stadium of a sports legend

Hardly any other major European city combines as much history, culture and athletic prestige as the Portuguese capital, Lisbon: for example, the football clubs Benfica Lissabon and Sporting Lissabon are among the top clubs in Europe and are only two out of a total of ten clubs in the city. But Lisbon also excels at athletics. One big name that is integrally linked to the city is Mário Moniz Pereira (1921–2016), who is often described as the father of Portuguese athletics. Pereira was a teacher, athlete, Olympian and sports director, and most importantly, he was an outstanding coach, both for the athletics department of the Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting CP) and for the Portuguese Athletics Federation. As an athlete, he took part in the Olympic Games, and as a coach, he trained famous athletes such as Carlos Lopes and Rosa Mota, both winners of Olympic gold medals.

The athletics arena “Pista de Atletismo Municipal Professor Moniz Pereira”, in the Santa Clara area of Lisbon, is named after him. It features an athletics track with eight lanes and an integrated, elongated sprinting track of 140 metres. It also has facilities for shot put, javelin, high jump, long jump and pole vaulting, as well as for the discus and hammer throw with a corresponding cage. The arena is rounded off by facilities for fitness, bodybuilding, judo, karate and other martial arts. A dance studio and yoga studio are also included.

The Pista de Atletismo was opened in 2007, and we renewed the surfaces of all the running tracks and run-up tracks in 2024. We installed Polytan Rekortan M in brick red, the professional among our sports surfaces and a classic in its own right. Rekortan was first used in 1969 at the Olympic stadium in Berlin and again in 1972 at the Olympic Games in Munich. For over 50 years, Rekortan has maintained an outstanding track record worldwide and is a favourite of athletes, schools, clubs and municipalities. The poured in-situ surface is not only an economically attractive solution, but also stands out for its high shock absorption and exceptional sport medical values.

It also supports fast speeds and guarantees excellent acceleration. This is yet another reason why Rekortan is the most popular sports surface. It has been used in Olympic Games, world championships and European, African and Asian championships, at the Commonwealth Games and in the Diamond League. And it’s no wonder – after all, Rekortan is one of the most certified sports surfaces for athletics overall.

We are honoured that Lisbon has chosen our popular classic and are sure that the industrious and performance-focused Mário Moniz Pereira would have liked it too.

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