Zetra Olympic Hall, Sarajevo

The Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Hall (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: Olimpijska dvorana Juan Antonio Samaranch / Олимпијска дворана Хуан Антонио Самаран; formerly Zetra Olympic Hall) is an indoor multi-purpose arena in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Named in honor of Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2010 after his death, it was used for various sporting events at the 1984 Winter Olympics, and as the main venue of the 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival.
==History==
The building of the complex started in June 1981 and was officially opened by former President of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, on February 14, 1982.
===Olympic venue===
Zetra Olympic Hall was constructed specifically for the 1984 Winter Olympics, hosted in Sarajevo, and was completed in 1982. Its first major event was the 1983 World Junior Speed Skating Championships. It was described as an "ultramodern, angular edifice""Now Bring On The Torch" Bob Ottum, Sports Illustrated, March 14, 1983 with a copper roof. The indoor venue hosted ice hockey and figure skating events, as well as the last closing ceremony held in an indoor place until Vancouver 2010."A little touch of Heaven" B.J. Phillips, Time, February 27, 19841984 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 71-2, 87-88, 105-8.
From 1984 to 1991, Zetra remained in service as a venue for ice sports. It served as the venue for several international speed skating events, and several speed skating world records were broken here.
===Destruction===
The arena suffered substantial damage from shelling, bombing and fire by the Serb forces on Monday, May 25, 1992 during the Bosnian War."The Killing Ground" William Oscar Johnson, Sports Illustrated, February 14, 1994 The interior of the structure, such as the basements and main hall, were put into service as a morgue,"Zetra returns to the future" David Taylor, SFOR Informer #57, March 17, 1999"1984: Sarajevo" Bonnie DeSimone, New York Times, February 5, 2006 storage space for medication and supplies, and a staging area for UN equipment."Sarajevo 2010? Collateral Damage" Sports Illustrated, April 9, 1999"Guns Now, Butter Later" James L. Graff, Time, July 20, 1992 The wooden seats from the venue were used as material for coffins for civilians killed in the war."TV SPORTS; Goodwill Games Headed for Bosnia?" Richard Sandomir, New York Times, July 7, 1999"Sarajevo's Olympic Seats Are Now Coffin Boards" Mark Milstein, London Observer news service, August 5, 1993
===Reconstruction===
After the war, it was discovered that though the building was badly damaged, the foundation was secure. Although the original blueprints were never recovered, in September 1997, reconstruction on the venue, facilitated by the SFOR, began. The International Olympic Committee donated $US 11.5 million to the project, which cost an estimated DM 32 million (€ 16.4 million). The reconstruction was completed in 1999.
==References==
==External links==
*World Stadiums
Category:Indoor ice hockey venues in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Category:Olympic ice hockey venues