Melbourne Park’s stunning Kia Arena opens

Article posted by Coliseum, January 6^th, 2022

Image: Melbourne Olympic Parks

The stunning new 5,000 seat show court at Melbourne Park (Australia) has been named Kia Arena ahead of the Australian Open 2022.

The ‘Melbourne Olympic Parks’ stated that the new Arena was the signature element of the $271.5 million third stage of the Melbourne Park Redevelopment, which also incorporated a new conference and events venue in CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park, as well as two additional courts and a logistics hub.

The 10,500-capacity Melbourne Park is a sports venue in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Since 1988, Australia’s bicentenary, Melbourne Park has been home of the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, which is played annually in January.

The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

The Australian Open 2022 will be played from January 17^th to January 30^th.

The ‘Melbourne Olympic Parks’ further stated that partially sunken into the ground and located next to the prestigious 14,820-capacity Rod Laver Arena, the Arena features an open-roof structure that provides shade and weather protection for fans, ensuring the Australian Open remains the most weather-proof of the Grand Slams.

In recognition of the Australian Open’s 21-year partnership with Kia (a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer), the court will make its debut as Kia Arena during the coming Open.

Stated Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley, “Kia has been on the Australian Open journey with us for the past 21 years and worked with us side-by-side to grow the event exponentially during that time. The naming of Kia Arena today is another example of the strength of our partnership and provides a year-round platform for Kia to showcase the great relationship between Kia and the Australian Open. Kia Arena is a spectacular new asset and provides another premium space for our fans to enjoy great tennis in January.”

More than 130 Kia vehicles will make up the Australian Open fleet in 2022, including 10 of the brand-new EV6 all-electric cars, as part of Kia’s commitment to sustainability.

The fleet will be officially launched during the traditional Kia handover ceremony the week before the Australian Open begins.

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