The skating hall in Zakopane will be opened in October this year, and the junior World Cup competitions will be held there already at the turn of November and December. The hall, which is being built as part of the Ministerial Programme of Investments of Special Importance for Sport and is intended primarily for speed skating, meets all international standards.
“We are building Europe’s most modern large hall, which will serve our speed skaters and short track specialists. The cost of this facility will be almost two hundred million PLN, but it was worth spending this money, because we will have a hall not only for professional sportsmen, but also for general sports”, said the Minister of Sport and Tourism, Sławomir Nitras.
It is worth noting that the facility’s location at an altitude of almost 1,000 metres will improve the quality of training conditions for speed skating groups. Thanks to increased funding for this investment, the facility will also be adapted to the needs of other sports associations, such as the Polish Mountaineering Association, the Polish Ski Association, the Polish Biathlon Association and the Polish Weightlifting Association.
The ice arena in Zakopane is being built on the site of an outdoor ice track, which has been in operation since the 1960s. The investment also includes modern administrative and changing facilities, a 3-lane indoor athletics track with a track width of approx. 1.22 m and a 4-lane outdoor athletics track, together with a 100-metre 6-lane straight track. The capacity of the ice arena stands is two thousand seats.
The facility will meet the requirements for the organisation of mass events, including competitions of international rank in accordance with the requirements of the International Skating Union and the Polish Speed Skating Association. Although the hall has not yet been put into use, Zakopane has already been granted the right to organise major international events – junior World Cup competitions will be held there twice later this year.
Adrian Andrzejewski