The state will not give Brno 300 million crowns for the athletics hall

Brno – The National Sports Agency has decided not to grant Brno a subsidy of 300 million crowns for the construction of an athletics hall. The fate of the hall is thus uncertain. The city wants to build the hall near the university campus for approximately 800 million crowns. Brno's Mayor Markéta Vaňková stated in a statement to ČTK that the city has received the news and will discuss the next steps.

The previous coalition led by the ANO movement proposed the construction of the athletics hall and selected the contractor in 2018. The hall has building permits, and the construction was to be completed last year. However, the new coalition led by the ODS has interrupted the project several times, citing problems with financing.

The grant process for the athletics hall has been prolonged for several months due to repeated requests from the agency for documentation. The decision was initially expected to be known at the beginning of the year. "As of today, we can confirm that the grant process for the athletics hall has been halted. The reason is the closure of an irrevocable commitment with the contractor, which made it impossible to use even a block exemption for public support and the failure to provide a valid itemized budget,” said the spokesperson of the National Sports Agency, Jakub Večerka. He added that the decision is final, and no appeal is possible. "Of course, Brno can file an administrative lawsuit, as is possible with anything,” Večerka stated. He also anticipates that the agency will not announce a new grant call for such large constructions this year due to a lower budget.

The hall is to be located between Netroufalky and Bítešská streets opposite the Faculty of Sports Studies at Masaryk University. It would offer 2,200 spectator seats and 170 parking spaces. It is intended to be a facility for athletes, as there is a lack of a hall for winter training in South Moravia. The hall should also serve Masaryk University.