19 Jun 2023
Atlético de Madrid plans Europe's largest urban beach and surf park for Madrid
BY Tom Walker
Spanish capital Madrid is set to to be the home of Europe's largest urban beach and surf destination.
A collaboration between football club, Atlético de Madrid, and two real estate investment companies, Stoneweg and Teras Capital, the facility will form part of the larger Sports City project, which is being developed by Atlético de Madrid on the land surrounding its Cívitas Metropolitano stadium.
Utilising Wavegarden technology, the as yet unnamed surf park has been in the works for a number of years.
It will feature a "sustainable and ecological design" and will create a "unique surfing destination that brings the beach lifestyle and the sport of surfing to everyone".
The waves produced by the Wavegarden Cove technology are suitable for everyone, from beginners to experts, ranging in size and power from 0.5m to 2m.
According to the partnership, the vision of the project goes beyond creating a simple tourist attraction and will provide a space for sports, leisure and fun, while promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.
The park also opens up the possibility of surfing all year round, providing a training facility for national and European teams.
Surfing made its debut appearance at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan and has also been approved by the IOC for inclusion at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Miguel de Lucas, the founding partner of Teras Capital, said: "After more than six years of hard work, we have finally found the perfect partners to make this dream a reality.
"We are excited to offer Madrid residents and visitors a beach experience without leaving the city.
"We thank Atlético de Madrid for their trust and Wavegarden for their exceptional work that has led us to this point."
About Sports City
Sports City of Atlético de Madrid is slated to be one of the biggest stadium-adjacent developments in the world and will be built on 1m sq m of land surrounding the Metropolitano stadium.
Costing more than €205m Sports City will have an athletics stadium, a smaller stadium with a capacity of 6,000, six football pitches, four sports courts, a hotel and a sports-performance centre with accommodation, a gym and a medical center. Other sports on offer will include paddle tennis (25 courts), climbing, skating and trampolining.
The new facilities will see Atlético de Madrid's first team and also its youth team training in the capital.
Madrid's mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeyda, said the city of Madrid can look forward to the creation of a sports compound "like few other cities in the world.
"With this project we honour the title of World Capital of Sport status that was granted to us for 2022," he said.
The development will be built on land originally earmarked for a Madrid Olympic bid. The city has not yet confirmed if it will ever aspire to host the Games, having decided not to bid in 2036. The status of the swimming pool originally planned as part of the proposed Olympic bid has not been confirmed at this time.
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