Brno wants 300 million from the sports agency for the athletics hall

Brno – Brno wants to obtain 300 million crowns from the National Sports Agency for the construction of an athletics hall in the university campus. The state will cost over 800 million crowns. This was stated today by the spokesman for the city hall, Filip Poňuchálek. Athletes do not have a hall in South Moravia. It is to have a capacity of 2000 spectators and serve for international competitions.

The project already has a building permit and it would be possible to start construction, but the city does not have enough funds. Therefore, the Brno council has suspended the project for the third time today, which is allowed by the contract. They did so for two months last summer, after which the project was suspended for another six months. The current suspension is valid for three months.

The city has allocated 330 million for the investment, and the South Moravian Region has promised 100 million. "The parameters of the athletics hall meet the requirements for hosting international competitions. There are no other similar facilities in the Czech Republic. That is why we entered into negotiations with the National Sports Agency, and we were informed that the announcement of a call for the grant program for inter-regional sports infrastructure is being prepared. We are now waiting to see what the specific conditions of the call will be," said the councilor for investments, David Grund (ODS). According to him, the program should be announced soon. "We will then apply for a grant of 300 million crowns. The granting of the grant is crucial for the realization of this investment," added Grund.

According to the mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková (ODS), the hall for 2000 spectators will allow winter training for Brno athletes and hosting international competitions, which is essential for the region. "After obtaining the building permit at the end of June last year, we focused on securing funding. Unfortunately, the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic did not make it easier for us, and that is why we suspended the project for several months," Vaňková recalled.

The hall is to be built between Netroufalky and Bítešská streets opposite the Faculty of Sports Studies of Masaryk University. It will offer 2000 seats for spectators and 170 parking spaces. It is meant to provide facilities for athletes, who lack a hall for winter training in South Moravia. The hall should also serve Masaryk University.