Wales are feeling the heat in Turkish training camp
WALES didn’t have much time to celebrate a hard-earned triumph over England - they jetted to Turkey the following day for hot weather training.
But why is the nine-day camp being held on the Turkish Riviera at the country’s largest Mediterranean Sea holiday resort Antalya?
WHAT IS THE GLORIA SPORTS ARENA?
IT’S the largest sports facility in Turkey with facilities and specialist equipment for more than 50 sports.
The accommodation block contains 82 standard-sized rooms, eight rooms for the handicapped and 10 suites.
All the rooms have a view of the complex’s football pitch and running track.
Mini bars in each room do not have alcoholic beverages, the length of the beds are 2m (6ft 5in) but can be extended to 2.20m (7ft 2in).
The longer beds were required to ensure the likes of Adam Beard, who at 6ft 8in is the tallest player in the Wales squad, were able to get a comfortable night’s sleep.
Jake Ball is an inch shorter, captain Alun Wyn Jones, Bradley Davies and back-rower Aaron Shingler two, and Cory Hill three.
WHAT SPORTS DOES IT CATER FOR?
OUTDOOR sports include rugby, football, athletics, archery, beach volleyball, cycling, hockey, golf, climbing, tennis, triathlon and frisbee.
Indoor sports include aerobics, badminton, basketball, boxing, fencing, handball, judo, table-tennis, martial arts, weightlifting, wrestling while there are a number of gyms.
A swimming pool complex also caters for diving, water polo, synchronised swimming, underwater hockey and underwater rugby.
There’s also a full range of medical services, performance testing, personal and group training programmes, and recovery services such as cryotherapy, laser therapy and ultrasound.
Warren Gatland’s head of physical performance, Paul Stridgeon, said: “We’re very grateful for the facilities we’ve got at this training camp, which are probably some of the best I’ve ever seen.
“Everything is in close proximity: great gyms, cryotherapy, plunge pools, saunas, a fantastic pitch with a running track around it.
“The hotel overlooks the pitch, the food is excellent and the staff can’t do enough for you.”
WHO TRAINS AT THE COMPLEX?
INTERNATIONAL teams from a wide variety of sports while football clubs to utilise the facilities include Hertha Berlin, FC Steaua and Besiktas.
Stridgeon said: “There are lots of other teams and athletes staying here.
“We’ve had some sprinters watching us train, some high jumpers and one of the best volleyball teams in the world.
“My background is in wrestling, so I used to rub shoulders with other athletes and see how they worked, but you don’t generally get that opportunity in team sports, so coming to places like this gives you that unique insight.”
WHY DID WALES CHOOSE TURKEY?
TO simulate the heat and humidity they could face at the World Cup in Japan, where some claim it will be like playing in damp conditions.
The forecast for today in Antalya was 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees centigrade) with 32% humidity. The humidity level is expected to rise to 45% next Monday.