Olympic athletes from 250 countries trained exclusively on Technogym at the 2008 Summer Games
Building on its experience as exclusive fitness equipment supplier to the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Turn 2006 Olympic Games, Technogym returned again as the Exclusive Fitness Equipment Supplier for the Beijing Summer Games. Over 12,000 Olympic athletes from 250 countries in 28 sports categories trained on Technogym in Beijing, establishing it as a reference company in the sports world.
Technogym was chosen ahead of other US and local Chinese competitors for the quality of its vast and complete range of products and services, as well as for the experience it has accumulated in the previous Olympic Games stated Mr. Liu Jun, Deputy Director of Marketing Department at BOCOG (Beijing 2008 Olympics Organizing Committee).
In Beijing, Technogym equipped 20 training facilities including the main fitness center at the Olympic Village, 17 centers inside the different competition venues and, for the first time at the Olympics, two training centers for journalists at the Main Press Center and Media Village.
As soon as the Olympic Village opened on July 27, the main fitness center quickly became the center for training and socializing for athletes and coaches. The Technogym equipped facility, measuring over 21,500 sqft and featuring 400 pieces of cardio, strength and movement equipment, offered training solutions for all sport disciplines. The cardio area featured top of the line Excite equipment, the movement area offered FLEXability and Kinesis, the strength training area showcased Selection and the new plate-loaded Pure Strength and the large free weight space allowed for self-directed training.
The new FLEXability line made its Olympic debut with extraordinary success. Athletes flocked to the equipment for guided and safe stretching following long training sessions. The second star of the gym was Kinesis, the modular functional training system that allowed athletes of different disciplines to simulate sport specific movements, from volleyball and fencing, to swimming and tennis. Pure Strength was also crowded thanks to its free-weight feel with the safety of guided movement. Those training at higher loads particularly appreciated the extensive support and safety features. Many international athletes and coaches who already train with Technogym in their home countries were also very happy to have the opportunity, for the fourth time at the Olympics, to use Wellness System and to be able to keep track of their training data on the Smartkey.
At peak hours on the busiest days, the Technogym facility at the Olympic Village had up to 400 athletes at the same time with a daily attendance of over 5,000 people. The activity was managed by a team of 60 Technogym trainers coming from the 5 continents to support the athletes with different languages and cultural approaches.
Raffael Nadal, champion tennis player and gold medalist in Beijing was one of the frequent gym goers, along with other top tennis players like Jelena Jancovic and Ana Ivanovic from Serbia. All the top volleyball, basketball, handball, baseball, hockey and water polo teams had regular training sessions in the gym at the Olympic Village (see the attached pictures showing the volleyball legend Giba and the NBA star Emmanuel Ginobili, both gold medalists in Athens).
Alongside the main fitness center at the Olympic Village, Technogym equipped 17 gyms in the main competition venues so that athletes could warm up before their events. At the Olympic Stadium, Technogym offered equipment specifically tailored for track and field needs: cardio machines, lower body strength equipment and FLEXability. At the Water Cube Swimming Center the most popular equipment was Excite Top, as it helped swimmers prepare their upper body before the race. Finally, the National Tennis Stadium featured a combination of cardio and Kinesis.
For the first time at the Beijing Olympics, journalists also had the opportunity to work out regularly and share the Olympic spirit at the Main Press Center, where their editorial offices and work stations were based, and at the Media Village, the location of their accommodations.
Finally, from behind the scenes Technogym shared in Chinas victory as the country with the most gold medals at the Games. The Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) chose Technogym as Official Supplier for the preparation of its national teams. Starting in 2006, Technogym has been involved with the preparation of the Chinese contingent, equipping around 20 fitness training centers dedicated to the various Chinese sport federations preparing for the Olympic Games.
