Stade Louis-II’s athletics track is getting a refresh this summer, with renovation work taking place in the window between the Herculis EBS Meeting, held this year on July 10, and the return of the French football season, when the venue reverts to hosting AS Monaco’s Ligue 1 fixtures.
The resurfacing is a routine but essential undertaking carried out every five years to maintain the track’s international certification, ensuring that performances recorded during major competitions continue to be officially recognised going forward. It’s a significant piece of upkeep for a venue regarded as one of the fastest tracks on the Diamond League circuit, having produced numerous top-tier times over the years, particularly in distance and middle-distance events.
Stade Louis-II itself is one of Monaco’s most recognisable landmarks, instantly identifiable by the nine distinctive arches at its away end. Inaugurated in its current form on January 25, 1985, following major redevelopment work commissioned under Prince Rainier III, the stadium sits on a platform built out over the sea in the Fontvieille district, requiring close to 120,000 cubic metres of concrete and thousands of tonnes of steel to construct. Alongside its 8-lane, 400-metre athletics track and football pitch, the complex also houses the Prince Albert II Water Sports Centre, an Olympic swimming pool, the Gaston-Médécin sports hall (home of the Roca Team), AS Monaco’s training centre and administrative offices, and even the International University of Monaco, reflecting the venue’s role as far more than just a sporting arena.
Since 1987, the stadium has hosted the Herculis meeting, now part of the World Athletics Diamond League, drawing some of the biggest names in international track and field to Monaco each summer. It has also served as AS Monaco’s home ground since 1985, and hosted the UEFA Super Cup final annually between 1998 and 2012.
Work on the track began in mid-July and is expected to wrap up within the coming weeks, in time for the stadium’s next scheduled sporting events.
Image courtesy of Communication Department – Stéphane Danna