Paris 2024 will be played on hockey’s first carbon zero turf

NEWS RELEASE: Poligras Paris GT zero turf released 3 November, 2022 
  • Carbon zero hockey turf  
  • 80% biobased material (sugarcane)  
  • Made with green energy 
  • New backing for better CO2 balance 
  • Less water  
With every Olympic Games comes the opportunity to strive for better. As the athletes train to raise their game for Paris, Sport Group and Poligras have invested a further two years of R&D into the Green Technology that was developed for the celebrated Tokyo Olympic hockey turf.   The result is the world’s first carbon zero hockey turf which will provide the stage for the world’s best teams at Paris 2024. It marks a new Olympic standard for player and environmental performance.  MADE WITH 80% SUGARCANE  Poligras’ Paris turf technology uses I’m Green™ polyethylene, a revolutionary bioplastic from Braskem. Plastics are typically made from fossil fuels, however I’m Green™ polyethylene is a plastic obtained from ethanol derived from sustainably farmed sugarcane.   Using sugarcane as a bio-raw material for the turf’s fibers means the Poligras Paris GT zero turf saves 73 tonnes of CO2 compared to a conventional turf.   WATER REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY  Each Olympics since Sydney has seen a reduction in the amount of water required for optimum play. For example, the Tokyo Olympic turfs required 39% less water than the turfs at Rio 2016.   Poligras Paris GT zero continues this progress with the introduction of Turf Glide, a new and proprietary technology which reduces the surface friction. With this technology, less water is required to lubricate the turf for fast and fluid play.   A STEP CHANGE FOR HOCKEY AROUND THE WORLD  Paul Kamphuis, Sport Group’s Global Head of Hockey is responsible for building hockey turfs around the world and is leading the turf project for Paris 2024:  “Having developed turfs for 8 Olympic Games, we have seen how the Olympic turf sets the standard for innovation. Poligras Tokyo GT turf, with over 50 installations, was extremely popular in all major hockey countries and demonstrated that the hockey community is choosing a more sustainable future for their sport. Poligras Paris GT zero takes this commitment to another level. It is a remarkable synthetic turf made with brilliant science and advanced manufacturing by people who really care about the game. It will make carbon zero hockey a reality not just for Paris but for clubs, colleges and communities all over the world.”   
“We are delighted that Paris 2024 will be a ‘hockey zero’ event. This innovation by our trusted partner Polytan, in addition to the continued reduction in the use of water for pitches, confirms hockey’s determination to fully support and contribute to the Paris 2024 sustainability targets” — THIERRY WEIL, FIH CEO
  CARBON ZERO HOCKEY IS THE FUTURE  The carbon zero legacy is already being played out in Germany where the first Poligras Paris GT zero turf was installed at the Hamburger Polo Club in October 2022. The evolutionary turf will be used by everyone in the club from Bundesliga matches, veterans and juniors. As Jon Wyatt, FIH Sport Director explains after his visit to the club:  “Hockey is a progressive sport and answering the sustainability challenge that will allow the game and the communities who play it to thrive in the future is one of our most pressing goals. The green turf technology that has been developed for Paris 2024 and that I have seen first-hand in Hamburg is an important step in this journey. Through it, hockey is contributing to the Paris Games’ environmental target and beyond.”  46 YEARS OF HOCKEY-FIRST INNOVATION  The turf’s evolution for Paris has been the result of a long-term strategic partnership with the sport which began in 1976. According to Stephen Niven, CEO Sport Group Asia Pacific;  “Paris will be our 11th Olympics and the 8th Olympics to use Poligras, our global hockey turf brand. As the FIH’s Olympic and World Cup partner it is our responsibility to continue to innovate on behalf of the sport and our Paris turf is the next advance in our breakthrough Green Technology (GT). Through sustainable innovations in carbon and water reduction, recycling and portable technology we are excited to be part of a more sustainable future for the game as well as one of its longest-standing partners.”  ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY FEDERATION (FIH)  The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is the world governing body for the sport of hockey, recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Founded in 1924, FIH today has 140 member National Associations. Visit here for more information on the Hockey Revolution.  ABOUT SPORT GROUP  Sport Group sells and installs more synthetic turf sport fields, athletic tracks and courts globally than any other business. Sport Group consists of 21 companies including APT.  ABOUT POLIGRAS  Poligras is Sport Group’s global hockey turf brand, and Poligras Paris GT zero is available from Sport Group companies around the world – APT in Asia Pacific and AstroTurf in the USA and the Americas.