Asian Games' football venue well-prepared with natural turf

The stadium at the Wenzhou Olympic Sports Center in Longwan district, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Wenzhou News]

The stadium at the Wenzhou Olympic Sports Center in Longwan district, Wenzhou is the football venue for the 19th Asian Games, which are hosted by Hangzhou, Zhejiang province and scheduled for Sept 23 to Oct 8.

To prepare a perfect field for athletes, the stadium has introduced Tifsport, a hybrid variety of Bermuda grass, from the United States to lay the surface. The grass was selected for its high density, ability to regenerate from damage, and tolerance to close mowing.

A professional maintenance team has been employed to water, fertilize, and mow the lawn. According to Asian Games' requirements, the grass should be 2.5 centimeters in length.

Specialist equipment, such as lawnmowers and pesticide sprayers, has also been used to take care of the grass. The annual maintenance cost is about 1 million yuan ($141,568).

Guangzhou Labosport, a laboratory specializing in analysis and certification of sports surfaces, recently conducted a test on the field and confirmed that it is qualified to hold high-level games.

The official test events for the Asian Games will start at the stadium at the end of June. All departments, including ticketing, security, and medical teams, will take part to ensure the event's success.