Gold for Tapibel carpet at the Olympic Games in Paris

Have you taken the time to enjoy the outstanding performances of Simone Biles and our own Nina Derwael at the Olympic Games? And did you know they performed their exercises on a Tapibel carpet? We have been supplying our customer Gymnova with tufted carpet for the artistic rhythmic gymnastics mat at the Olympic Games for several years. Managing Director Werner Verweyen speaks about it and provides an explanation.

Werner was recently interviewed by Leen Dewitte of Radio 1, a Belgian national radio station. He talked about the Tapibel carpet that’s taking centre stage in Paris.

Which part of the mats is Tapibel actually involved with?
“The mats are used for the artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, and they measure 14 by 14 metres. They consist of several layers and have a thickness of approximately 40 centimetres. And our carpet makes up the top layer. “

So it goes on top of the springy layer and the other material?
“Yes, that’s right. The mat consists of feathers, foam, planks and the like. And the standard beige carpet with red border comes on top of that.”

And is this how we can recognise your product?
“Yes, that’s the product made by my French customer, Gymnova. They make gymnastics equipment, all kinds of equipment in fact, and the gymnastics mat is one part of that.”

What are the requirements that the Olympic carpet must meet?
“For the gymnasts, it is important for the carpet to be soft, and pleasant to jump and walk on. The rubbing resistance is also important. The rubbing resistance must always be the same when you land on it. The equipment also bounces a lot when jumping, so the carpet must be very flexible. It must also be strong enough that it does not tear.”

Does the carpet have a different colour for every Olympic Games, or do you always work with the same colour?
“Gymnova works with red as standard, but we produced a Brazilian green border specially for the Rio de Janeiro Games (in 2016). This year it will be a blue-green border during the Games in Paris.”

How did you find yourselves offering that specific product? How does Tapibel distinguish itself?
“We work with the customer to find ways to meet the different characteristics. It is an atypical carpet: every composition, whether the yarn, underside, adhesive layer, etc. has been specifically developed for artistic and rhythmic gymnastics.”

Do the gymnasts also get an opportunity to test the carpet in advance?
“Yes indeed. It is tested on test mats at gymnastics clubs. If they know that a specific piece of equipment will be used at the Olympic Games, it creates interest. Of course everyone likes to train on the exact equipment that will be at the Games. And so they order the very same equipment.”

How much impact do the Olympic Games have on you? Because this is clearly a niche product.
“That’s right, it is a niche product. In addition to the Games, we make carpet for other gymnastics manufacturers; we really have a name for ourselves.”

Wow, that’s special because you’re a smaller family business but you’re still making waves on the international market.
“Indeed, but this is also a speciality that not every company can or wants to be involved with. It is not about volume products, even though we still produce carpet for about 300 mats per year.”

Are there any other major sporting events using your carpets?
“Actually, our carpets are used at all major sporting events involving gymnastics. The Commonwealth Games, for example. Or European competitions, in Glasgow, where our carpets are also present.”

We are proud that Tapibel has a small footprint at the Olympic Games in this way. And that the gymnasts can achieve their best performances, partly thanks to our carpets.