In the last few years, Brazil has hosted several global multi-week sporting events, including this month’s 2016 Summer Olympics (Rio 2016). During this time, Rain Bird Corporation of Azusa, CA has been selected as the irrigation system partner for 13 newly constructed multi-sport and green space venues in and around Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With a focus on sustainability and Rain Bird’s focus on The Intelligent Use of Water™, these venues offer the world’s best soccer, hockey and rugby player’s superior field conditions. Fans also get to enjoy the water efficient green spaces in various sports complexes and city parks throughout.
“We are very appreciative for the opportunity to have our irrigation systems help create beautiful green parks and sports fields for the people of Brazil to enjoy for years to come,” said JR Bergantino, director of Rain Bird International.
Some of the projects, a number of which are serving as venues for the 2016 Summer Olympics, are the Barra Athletes’ Housing Complex, Barra Sports Park Complex, Madureira Park, and Mineirão Soccer Stadium (pictured), the equestrian cross-country course, and the field hockey, soccer, and rugby pitches. Each project had distinct irrigation system requirements and challenges, and given the large size of most of these projects, the design and installation processes were complex. Rain Bird’s comprehensive line of commercial irrigation solutions addressed each of the projects’ challenges. Rain Bird Brazil’s sales and technical team worked alongside a network of experienced distributors and contractors to ensure each project was completed to a high standard.
These projects in and around Rio used a variety of Rain Bird products including R-VAN Adjustable Rotary Nozzles (pictured), EAGLE™ 900/950 Series Rotors, PGA and PESB Series Valves, and more than 25 miles of XFS Subsurface Dripline. These sports facilities projects also included the installation of Rain Bird ESP-LXME and ESP-LXD Controllers and the company’s WS-PRO LT Weather Station to ensure the correct amount of water is distributed, even with unexpected weather changes.
“Working on these projects has been an honor for our team,” said Marcelo Zlochevsky, Rain Bird’s national manager for landscaping and agriculture. “We are proud to say that in Brazil, companies in the sports field industry view Rain Bird as the technical reference expert. We look forward to supporting many more projects in the years to come.”