Wrocław city hall gets sporty
Waldemar Biskup, from the sports bureau at city hall, says that negotiations are still underway. Sources say the city is expected to pay around zł.5 million for the facility.
Michał Janicki, director of the department of social matters at city hall, says that the Academy of Physical Education wants one of the city's buildings in exchange for the stadium. "We already have some ideas which building we can offer," he says.
Apart from the stadium, the Wrocław authorities will also takeover the plot, along with an old shooting range. The Martian Fields, the lightweight stadium and the sports hall will still belong to the academy.
Janicki says Wrocław is going to invest a minimum of zł.120 million in the reconstruction of the stadium, which was built before the Berlin Olympics in 1936. This time the stadium could be used during the 2012 UEFA European Championships. The cost will depend on which architects are selected to prepare the renovation plans.
The revamp would involve expanding the crown of the stadium, which was designed for some 40,000 people, but can now only hold some 12,000 spectators.
However, the authorities want to maintain the historical vision of the stadium. Janicki is taking into account another option. "We could erect a new stadium for the European Championships for some 40,000-45,000 people in [Wrocław's] Malice, close to the new highway," says Janicki. "Then only lightweight and dirt-bike racing events would be organized in the Olympic Stadium."
Andrzej Wróbel
