Olympic Hall Juan Antonio Samaranch
| Olympic Hall Juan Antonio Samaranch | |
|---|---|
| Zetra | |
| |
| Location | Koševo, Centar, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Opened | 1983 |
| Renovated | 1999 |
| Owner | Sarajevo Canton |
| Operator | ZOI '84 organization |
| Surface | versatile |
| Construction cost | € 16.4 million (1999. renovation) |
| Tenants | Bosnian-Herzegovinian National Team Bosnia and Herzegovina Hockey League |
| Capacity | 12,000 (18,000 for concerts) |
Olympic Hall Juan Antonio Samaranch (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: Olimpijska dvorana Juan Antonio Samaranch / Олимпијска дворана Хуан Антонио Самаран; formerly Zetra Olympic Hall) is an indoor multi-purpose arena in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Named in honor of Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2010 after his death, it was used for various sporting events at the 1984 Winter Olympics, and will be the main venue of the 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival.
Olympic Hall Zetra was constructed specifically for the 1984 Winter Olympics, hosted in Sarajevo, and was completed in 1983. Its first major event was the 1983 World Junior Speed Skating Championships. It was described as an "ultramodern, angular edifice" with a copper roof. The indoor venue hosted ice hockey and figure skating events, as well as the last closing ceremony held in an indoor place until Vancouver 2010.
From 1984 to 1991, Zetra remained in service as a venue for ice sports. It served as the venue for several international speed skating events, and several speed skating world records were broken here.
The arena suffered substantial damage and was completely destroyed by shelling, bombing and fire by the Serb forces on Monday, May 25, 1992 during the Bosnian War. The remaining areas of the structure, such as the basements, were put into service as a morgue and as storage space for medication and supplies. The wooden seats from the venue were used as material for coffins for civilians killed in the war.
After the war, it was discovered that though the building was badly damaged, the foundation was secure. Although the original blueprints were never recovered, in September 1997, reconstruction on the venue, facilitated by the SFOR, began. The International Olympic Committee donated $US 11.5 million to the project, which cost an estimated DM 32 million (€ 16.4 million). The reconstruction was completed in 1999.
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