Construction Works in Arroyo Primero, Marbella
Construction works are currently underway in the Arroyo Primero area of Marbella. The outdoor short track (200 meters) that the Marbella City Council promised to the clubs to be ready by the beginning of the year is now announced to be ready by summer. This was the quick solution proposed due to the slow progress at the Guadaiza facilities. The City Council assures that the track will be certified.
Mayor’s Visit to the Construction Site
The City Council released a statement on Thursday about the mayor’s visit to the construction site a few days ago, which was not announced to the media. The statement officially announces a facility that began construction in November and whose works have been practically halted.
Promise to Athletics Clubs
The athletics clubs were promised, as they recently recalled, that the track would be available by Reyes, a promise that was not fulfilled. This was a quick solution they wanted to offer due to the lack of progress on the 400-meter track planned in Guadaiza.
New Facility in Arroyo Primero
Now, the mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, has assured that this new facility in Arroyo Primero will be available “before the summer” and that €700,000 will be invested. The track will have six lanes and eight 60-meter indoor lanes for training and warming up, as well as a rubber pavement tartan and areas for long jump, shot put, and pole vault practice.
Change in Regulations
Until now, certified 200-meter athletics tracks were indoor, but now the door is also open for them to be outdoor and not just the 400-meter ones. The International Athletics Federation stopped differentiating from January 1 between indoor track and outdoor athletics. The competition, which used to be common in winter, on a 200-meter ring is now called ‘short track’, and will no longer be “indoor”. This will allow records to be recognized in this type of facility without distinguishing whether it is outdoor or indoor. The new track being built in Marbella in Arroyo Primero is announced to be certified, so if so, it could host ‘short track’ competitions.
More Promises
A covered track in the southern area of the new Marbella municipal stadium was also planned and announced when the ideas competition was decided. Pending the final project, it is unknown whether the intention to have another short track, in this case indoor, is maintained. In addition, in February 2022, work began to have a 400-meter track in Guadaiza, which seems to be a long way off. In the last election campaign, the mayor also announced a 200-meter track on the grounds of the África hostel, with a football field inside, as well as a car park.
