The Tennis Masters Cup will be staged at the new, architecturally unique Qi Zhong (pronounced Chee-Jong) Tennis Centre. The Barco LED solution for Qi Zhong consists of multiple SLite 14 outdoor LED displays, supplied in a rental configuration, which will allow the customer to re-locate its LED displays to other venues within Shanghai. With its ultra-high light output, the SLite 14 displays offer unequalled brightness and contrast levels, making them ideal for use in very bright outdoor locations - even in direct sunlight, say the company.
Due for completion in August 2005, the Qi Zhong Centre will become the largest tennis facility in Asia. Covering over 80 acres and featuring a total of 40 indoor and outdoor courts, the Qi Zhong centre will incorporate state-of-the-art technology throughout to create the ultimate sporting destination venue in Asia today. The stadium's main attention-grabber will no doubt be the 30 000sqm dual-purpose indoor/outdoor centre court which boasts a seating capacity of 15 000. The centre court will also feature a retractable roof in the shape of an eight-piece Magnolia, which can be opened or closed to accommodate changing weather conditions within less than eight minutes.
Looking back at The 2002 Tennis Masters Cup held in Shanghai, which was one of the biggest professional sporting events China ever hosted the Tennis Masters Cup 2005-2007 Shanghai will definitely attract millions of people, who will see Barco's LED displays larger-than-life on site, on TV, or in the newspapers.
Qi Zhong Tennis Centre opted for a rental application because it intends to use its LED screens in a variety of applications and locations, this will allow it to maximize the return on investment.
Mr. Hu, chairman of Qi Zhong Tennis Centre stated that the reasons for choosing Barco were that they "favor Barco due to its high quality, stability and commitment on responsive service support."
Frank Christiaens, managing director of Barco in China, commented: " Barco was once more chosen for a high profile sports application in China because the customer was determined to offer its viewers the highest level in LED display technology available in the world today. Barco is proud to be associated with this world class event."
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
