MINSK, 24 December (BelTA) – The latest episode of the documentary series Time Chose Us aired by the Belarus 1 TV channel looked back on the Minsk Arena background, BelTA has learned.
In the center of the arena there is an ice rink. The cable roof of the arena can withstand up to 120 tonnes. Special sensors monitor cable tension 24/7. The arena has Europe’s heaviest, 18 tonnes, eight-faced video cube with plasma screens. When it opened, Minsk Arena was the largest facility in the post-Soviet space and the fourth largest among all hockey arena in Europe in terms of its capacity.
The official opening ceremony of the multipurpose cultural and sports complex Minsk Arena with the participation of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko took place on 30 January 2010.
Earlier, in 2008, the velodrome was put into operation. In the summer of 2009 it played host to the UEC Track Cycling European Championships. The speed skating stadium opened its doors in the winter of 2010. The most impressive object of this large-scale complex, the ice arena, still meets the highest international standards.
"Minsk Arena is important for the city of Minsk and for the country. But not only. There are a lot of sports facilities in the world. But there is no such a sophisticated project like the one in Minsk. It includes an ice arena for ice hockey games, a skating stadium that can host world-class competitions, and a multifunctional cycling track. This facility is the one and only," former Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee (2009-2014) Nikolai Ladutko said.
On the opening day, the media were discussing the technical characteristics of the arena: 31 kilometers of pipes, about 30,000 lighting devices, 720 kilometers of electric cable, and the most important - the 20,000 capacity.
"Any sovereign and independent state must create symbols of its independence and sovereignty. This is always worth a lot. It is not about money. Health is more valuable. I am sure that this facility will make our nation proud. And we, the Belarusians, can say: we are able to create something like this with our own hands," the head of state said at the opening ceremony of this multipurpose cultural and sports facility.
On the same day, the ultramodern arena hosted the second-ever KHL all-star game. The game was broadcast to the whole world. The new arena in the Belarusian capital was tested by the world’s best hockey players as part of the Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Yashin teams.
Since then, the arena has been used for basketball and handball games, dozens of grand concerts. In November 2010, Minsk Arena hosted the Eurovision Junior Song Contest. The show was watched not only by 15,000 spectators in the arena but also by a multimillion TV audience from 20 countries.
Belarus’ main ice arena opened in 2010. Since then, it has been hosting not only hockey games, but also a wide variety of events and forums. One of the recent examples is the sports and entertainment program "Time chose us", which is unique for our country in many respects.
The seats in Minsk Arena are designed to be as comfortable as possible. The complex has four stands and four separate entrances. Commentator boxes are on the upper tier of the arena. Some 42 glassed VIP-boxes can accommodate up to 700 guests. There are also two governmental and one presidential boxes in stand A.
In the center of the arena there is an ice rink. The cable roof of the arena can withstand up to 120 tonnes. Special sensors monitor cable tension 24/7. The arena has Europe’s heaviest, 18 tonnes, eight-faced video cube with plasma screens. When it opened, Minsk Arena was the largest facility in the post-Soviet space and the fourth largest among all hockey arena in Europe in terms of its capacity.
The official opening ceremony of the multipurpose cultural and sports complex Minsk Arena with the participation of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko took place on 30 January 2010.
Earlier, in 2008, the velodrome was put into operation. In the summer of 2009 it played host to the UEC Track Cycling European Championships. The speed skating stadium opened its doors in the winter of 2010. The most impressive object of this large-scale complex, the ice arena, still meets the highest international standards. "Minsk Arena is important for the city of Minsk and for the country. But not only. There are a lot of sports facilities in the world. But there is no such a sophisticated project like the one in Minsk. It includes an ice arena for ice hockey games, a skating stadium that can host world-class competitions, and a multifunctional cycling track. This facility is the one and only," former Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee (2009-2014) Nikolai Ladutko said.
On the opening day, the media were discussing the technical characteristics of the arena: 31 kilometers of pipes, about 30,000 lighting devices, 720 kilometers of electric cable, and the most important - the 20,000 capacity.
"Any sovereign and independent state must create symbols of its independence and sovereignty. This is always worth a lot. It is not about money. Health is more valuable. I am sure that this facility will make our nation proud. And we, the Belarusians, can say: we are able to create something like this with our own hands," the head of state said at the opening ceremony of this multipurpose cultural and sports facility.
On the same day, the ultramodern arena hosted the second-ever KHL all-star game. The game was broadcast to the whole world. The new arena in the Belarusian capital was tested by the world’s best hockey players as part of the Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Yashin teams.
“The absolute majority of sports facilities are multifunctional venues. They serve not only the needs of athletes but also the interests of ordinary citizens. They are the centers of attraction for local residents to practice sport. They are also the centers of leisure, venues for various shows and concerts. As we see, the state has tackled this task well,” said Nikolai Baskov, the goalie coach of HC Dynamo Minsk in 2010-2011, member of the Council of the Republic.
You can learn more about the big events of our country's history in BelTA's YouTube project How It Was.
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