Interview: Jean-Pierre Bailly, Sales Manager, Polytan France
JP talks track, building trust and Talence’s famous Décastar.
What is your job title and role in the company?
I’m the Sales Manager for Polytan France. I’ve been with the company for nine years and in the industry for 28 years.
Tell us about the Polytan France business.
Polytan is well established in France. Including our Envirosport history, we have been operating for 47 years and employ 42 team members in Glisy.
Our business is built on three pillars: synthetic turf, athletics tracks, and tennis courts (including padel courts). For these projects we may work as the main contractor, a subcontractor, or as a supplier.
We bring to the market a long-standing reputation for high-quality sports facility construction, combined with Olympic and Grand Slam products including Rekortan tracks, Laykold courts, LigaTurf football fields, and Poligras which was the hockey turf used for Paris 2024.
Tell us about Polytan France’s track business.
For many years, we’ve been the leader in track construction in France, completing more than 25 large track projects each year. The work is a mix of full construction and resurfacing.
We have five to six dedicated track installation crews, supported by our in-house polyurethane specialists.
“We design, produce, install, and maintain our tracks. This is unique; in comparison our competitors are mostly “assemblers.”
Polytan France has such a strong track reputation in France. Why is that?
Our reputation with cities and architects is built on decades of high-quality products and excellent installation. Customers know we have the strongest installation capability in Europe, and our control of the entire value chain – from design and production through to installation and maintenance – gives them confidence.
We design, produce, install, and maintain our tracks. This is unique; in comparison our competitors are mostly “assemblers.”
And with Rekortan, we have a track product range with the most World Athletics certifications, the most Olympic records, and the most Diamond League stadiums. It’s proven, and our customers value that - they want their investment to last, and athletes want tracks that remain good to run on and don’t go hard.
What are some recent highlight projects?
We’re proud of all our projects, but a few recent ones stand out.
INSEP, Vincennes is the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance. We installed Rekortan M and Tartan Gold on the outdoor track used by France’s national athletes.
Stade Petitpoisson, Compiègne was refurbished to prepare international athletes for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This beautiful venue is now used by the club and all the local schools which is very satisfying.
Stade Georges Suant in Antony is a major track featuring an outdoor “overspeed” track and a Polytan Smart system with 181 magnets and seven mobile sets. It is very impressive.
The Stade Pierre-Paul Bernard track in Talence is a special place for track. Why is that?
It’s the most famous track stadium in southwest France and home to one of the country’s biggest athletics clubs. It hosts the Décastar, and the venue’s quality is exceptional. In addition to the outdoor track, there’s an indoor track with large doors that allow javelin throwing during winter!
Décastar – what is it, and why is it important to the sport and the town?
The Décastar is an international combined events meeting that has, for nearly 50 years, attracted the world’s best decathletes and heptathletes to Talence.
Featuring Olympic stars, world champions, and record breakers, it’s a must-see for track fans. We’re proud that the event takes place on a Polytan Rekortan track.
The current decathlon world record – 9,126 points – was set by Frenchman Kevin Mayer on 15–16 September 2018 at the Décastar in Talence.
Rekortan, the most globally installed track, is available through the world’s largest installation network. In North America, Rekortan is available via AstroTurf. In EMEA and Asia Pacific, it is available via Polytan. Rekortan is also installed globally through our network of expert installation partners, who are dedicated to creating high-performance tracks for athletes.