Bucharest is set for a new 20,000-seat arena after Gabriela Firea, the Mayor of the Romanian capital, announced that the city council had endorsed a €138m ($155m) project.
Romanian news agency Agerpres reported that the project would take around three years to complete.
The multi-purpose arena would be located near the Lia Manoliu sports complex and the 55,000-seat Arena Națională stadium.
The Romania-Insider website reports that opposition parties have expressed concerns at the price of the project, with one liberal member of the city council, Ciprian Ciucu, arguing that a 10,000-seat arena in Cluj-Napoca required only €17m of investment.
Firea said: “We cannot compare the costs with other similar arenas that have been built in the country, first of all because it is a capacity so far not seen in Romania – 20,000 seats.
“In addition, we have asked all Romanian sports federations to send the necessary equipment so that the space can be certified to international standards for all sports. Therefore, we will have a multi-purpose hall, a multi-functional hall, which we can take pride in.”
Image: seisdeagosto
