A total of 42 million euros, more than 100,000 visitors, 600 jobs ... The Davis Cup, held for the first time during a week in Madrid, will have a significant economic impact on the city.
From November 18 to 24, the 18 best tennis teams in the world will compete for the salad bowl in the Magic Box. The promoter of the event, the Kosmos company that captains the Barcelona soccer player, Gerard Piqué, estimate that 109,000 people will attend the tournament, of which 44,000 will come from abroad: 26% from different parts of Spain and 15%, from abroad . The Community of Madrid gives a higher figure and estimates that the number of attendees can reach 185,000.
Apart from the spectators, each team is accompanied by an important entourage of workers, so it is estimated that the cost of accommodation will be 11 million euros . In addition, spectators will spend 4.6 million euros on transportation, 3.4 million on restaurants and another 3.3 million on shopping and entertainment, according to a report by the DEP Institut consultancy for Kosmos.
The media impact will also be important, as some 1,000 communication professionals will approach Madrid to cover their teams during the Davis Cup finals.
The sports competition will also cost public money. Both the Community of Madrid and the City Council have signed an agreement with the company Kosmos for 10.8 million euros each.
The City Council has ceded the Magic Box for free to the Kosmos company, but the Consistory has to pay Madrid Destination 1.3 million each year for rent.
The players and their teams will stay at the VP Hoteles chain , which is the official sponsor of the event. Its flagship is the VP of Plaza de España, a five-star hotel, which has 214 rooms spread over 17 floors. The establishment is about a 15-minute drive from the Magic Box, located in the Usera district, home of the competition.
Changes in the Magic Box
These facilities are going to be completely transformed to host the Davis Cup, since it has been necessary to change the dirt tracks to hard tracks. In addition, a large tent is being installed to cover them and protect them from the weather.
In total, there will be seven training tracks and three competition stages . Heaters will also be placed in the public area to heat the stands in the low temperatures of November.
This year the Davis Cup also brings an important novelty and that there will be opening and closing concerts, starring Stool and Shakira, which will be held on the central track.
It is not the only innovation. The organizers have changed the concept of the traditional Davis Cup and intend to make it a World Cup in the style of football .
Another of the changes is that the games will not be played in five sets but in three , which means saying goodbye to those endless meetings of four or five hours.
While some think that this format was the only way to rescue the Davis Cup, others, such as Ion Tiriac, owner of the Mutua Madrid Open, accuse Piqué of having no idea of tennis.
Tournament promoters argue that Kosmos is much more than Piqué: "40 people work in the company and we have people with a lot of experience and a knowledge of spectacular tennis like Albert Costa or Galo Blanco," says Javier Alonso, the executive director of Kosmos. From the company they work against the clock so that Madrid becomes for a week the world capital of tennis.
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