Recycled Rubber in Surfaces Across Olympic Sports

All eyes will be on Paris this week as athletes from around the world descend on the City of Light to compete in the Olympics. As Olympians compete for glory, an unheralded part of the games is the sport surfaces they will play on, which are designed to not only optimize their performance but also to keep them safe from injury.

Within these sports surfaces is another unsung hero of modern athletics: recycled rubber. This innovative material plays a vital role in sports safety, comprising and bolstering many of the surfaces on which athletes play. In this post, we highlight sports surfaces that feature recycled rubber and explain how crumb rubber makes these sports safer for athletes of all levels.

Track and Field 

Many modern running tracks are made out of rubber and use crumb rubber since it is a particularly supportive material. Especially compared to concrete tracks, which increase the likelihood of injury, crumb rubber tracks are low-impact, reducing strain and injury risk. They also provide high-traction, allowing runners to race quickly and precisely. 

Soccer

Many soccer fields are made of synthetic turf and use crumb rubber as infill. Crumb rubber supports the synthetic turf blades, just as soil might with natural grass. But crumb rubber also has additional safety benefits: It absorbs the impact of falls and greatly reduces the risk of slipping during rainy or wet conditions. Since synthetic turf is more durable than natural grass, these fields also enable athletes to play consistently throughout the year. 

Rugby 

Like soccer fields, rugby fields are also frequently made of synthetic turf with crumb rubber infill. The safety benefits of crumb rubber are arguably even more important in rugby, a sport particularly prone to high-impact injuries. 

Tennis 

In typical French fashion, tennis at the Paris Olympics will be played on clay courts. But many tennis courts in the U.S. and abroad are either synthetic turf or feature extra “cushioning” for support—and both use recycled rubber. Synthetic turf tennis fields will often use crumb rubber infill, just as with soccer and rugby fields. “Cushioned” tennis fields are made almost entirely of rubber (like rubber running tracks), with an acrylic coating on top. These courts are particularly safe for players, as they reduce impact on joints.

Basketball 

Like some tennis courts, some basketball courts are also cushioned using recycled rubber. These courts are especially helpful in reducing the impact of falls—a common occurrence during games. 

Beach Volleyball 

Even beach volleyball courts tend to have some rubber in them: The border surrounding the sand court is often made of crumb rubber, as it’s safer than a concrete or wood border. With rubber borders, players don’t need to worry about hurting themselves when diving for a ball during a game.

As you tune into the Summer Olympics, zoom in a little closer on the surfaces—there’s a good chance recycled rubber is playing its part!