Since 1987, Mondo and World Athletics have worked together to promote the growth of athletics through passion and innovation. Mondo’s position as an Official Supplier of World Athletics has allowed both organisations to share their experience and technical expertise with each other, leading to the creation of athletics tracks and equipment at the cutting edge of the sector.
From developing Sportflex™ in the early 1970s, the first fabricated surface for athletics tracks based on natural and synthetic rubber, to becoming one of the first companies to obtain the ‘World Athletics Certified Athletic Track Products’ certification in 1999, Mondo has now created Mondotrack® Ellipse Impulse, a new sustainable athletics track. The surface has been developed with particular attention to the elastic response of the surface, essential to guaranteeing maximum athletic performance.
The athletics track was used at the Stade de France during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, where 14 Olympic records and 90 Paralympic records were broken. Mondo athletics tracks have now been used for 13 Olympic Games and 15 World Athletics Championships, most recently at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
Engineering performance
Mondotrack Ellipse Impulse has been optimised to improve performance through a combination of absorption, energy release and elastic behaviour. It is designed to be softer than previous athletics tracks but also more efficient in returning energy. This reduces strain on athletes’ joints.
Developed in collaboration with the Polymer Engineering Laboratory of the Politecnico di Milano, the key to Mondotrack Ellipse Impulse’s innovation lies in the new geometry of the sub-base that uses elliptical shapes. This includes technology like non-directional tessellation, a pattern of repeating geometric shapes that fit together perfectly on a surface, as well as surface embossing that enhances slip resistance and traction. This reduces the need for athletes’ shoe spikes to penetrate the surface and grip the track, enabling athletes to run faster because their feet spend less time in contact with the surface.
Mondotrack Ellipse Impulse also has superior mechanical resistance compared to standard track surfaces, with improved abrasion resistance, tensile and tear strength, and hardness – all key indicators of enhanced durability and spike resistance.
Environmental innovation
Sustainability lies at the heart of Mondo’s business, creating sports solutions that maximise athletic performance and safety while minimising environmental impacts both in locations where its tracks and equipment are installed and during manufacturing processes.
Mondo’s research and development department proactively uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), an analysis technique used to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s life, to guide its eco-design activities. Mondo also measures its environmental impact using Global Warming Potential (GWP), commonly referred to as a product’s carbon footprint. Mondo’s journey towards a sustainable athletics track began with a critical analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions of the Mondo track used since the 2012 London Olympics. Mondo has since used advanced eco-design to reduce the GWP of Mondotrack Ellipse Impulse by 24%.
The Ellipse Impulse formula now includes up to 40% of recycled materials, such as natural rubber sourced from end-of-life industrial supply chains, and up to 10% of renewable ingredients such as mollusc shells. These shells are rich in calcium carbonate, a material frequently used in resilient flooring. Using them for athletics tracks prevents the shells from going to landfill, as well as the mining of new calcium carbonate and its resulting environmental impacts. This initiative came to life thanks to a collaboration between Mondo and Nieddittas, a leading mussel farming and fishing cooperative in Sardinia. Constructing an athletics track with mollusc shell calcium carbonate is equivalent to offsetting the emissions of a Euro 4 diesel car travelling 60,000 kilometres.
Mondo athletics tracks are made of solid vulcanised rubber, free of coatings and partially embedded microplastic granules that become loose over time and contaminate the surrounding environment.
Mondo has also installed photovoltaic systems at its production sites, generating 11% of the electricity consumed at five Mondo production plants.
In the coming years, Mondo will continue to monitor and improve its sustainability performance, attaining more environmental certifications such as UL GREENGUARD Gold and TÜV AUSTRIA, and implementing new technologies to further reduce the company’s environmental impact.
Pioneering athletics’ next chapter
The Ellipse Impulse marks an important chapter in the evolution of athletics. With a history of certifications, records and success, Mondo continues to be a leader in the athletics track sector, offering high-quality products used in the most prestigious international competitions. The enduring partnership between Mondo and World Athletics shows both parties’ commitment to pushing the boundaries of athletics performance.
“Push beyond limits” is the vision that drives every choice, project and innovation of Mondo. It is not just a slogan, but the expression of a philosophy that runs through every area of the company’s business: from product design to customer approach, and from sustainability commitment to technological research.
This new strategic positioning draws inspiration from an emblematic statement by founder Ferruccio Stroppiana: “I have lived with the ambition to always push beyond my limits.” This statement sums up the spirit in which Mondo was born and grew, and which today translates into a message shared by the entire organisation.
George Timms for World Athletics