Arena Riga Explained

Arena Riga
Logo Image:Arena Riga Logo.png
Location:Riga, Latvia
Coordinates:56.968°N 24.1213°W
Broke Ground:17 June 2004
Built:1 February 2006
Opened:15 February 2006
Construction Cost:Ls 20 million
EUR € 28.5 million
General Contractor:SIA Merks
Tenants:Latvia men's national ice hockey team (2006–present)
Latvia men's national basketball team (2006–present)
Latvia women's national basketball team (2006–present)
Dinamo Riga (KHL) (2008–2022)
BC VEF Rīga (2009–present)
Riga Masters (snooker) (2014–2019)
LNK Fight Night (2017–2020)
Barons LMT (BBL/LBL) (2006–2009)
ASK Riga (BBL/LBL) (2006–2009)
BC Prometey (Eurocup) (2022–2024)
Seating Capacity:14,500 (concerts)
11,200 (basketball)
10,300 (ice hockey)

Arena Riga (Latvian: Arēna Rīga) is an indoor arena in Riga, Latvia. It is primarily used for ice hockey, basketball and concerts. Arena Riga holds a maximum of 14,500 and was opened on 15 February 2006.[1]

It was built to be used as one of the venues for the 2006 IIHF World Championship, the other being Skonto Arena. The arena was designed by the Canadian company SCI Architects and Latvian firms SIA Merks and SIA Nams.[2] [3]

History

The 11,000-seat arena was constructed as a requirement for hosting the 2006 IIHF World Championship. Its construction overseen by Latvian Ice Hockey Federation president Kirovs Lipmans was delayed due to disagreements on the construction contract and finding an investor to fund the project. The Baltic Times reported that Lipmans was to blame for the delays, and that he was asked to resign for a conflict of interest in owning shares in the arena's management company.[4]

It has been home to the Latvian national ice hockey team ever since and the Kontinental Hockey League club Dinamo Riga since 2008, as well as the Latvian men's and women's national basketball teams since 2006.

During the years the arena has also hosted many well-known artists from all over the world. A part of the events of the 2006 NATO Summit also took place in the venue.

The arena hosted the matches of EuroBasket Women 2009, EuroBasket Women 2019 and 'D' group of Eurobasket 2015.

The arena will host matches for the EuroBasket 2025 including the final phase.

It will also host matches for the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026.

Notable events

Concerts in Arena Riga

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Arēna Rīga – History. Arēna Rīga. live. 2019-09-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20050208193844/http://www.arenariga.com:80/ . 8 February 2005 .
  2. Web site: Arena Riga – Riga, Latvia : SCI Architects. sciarch.com. 2019-09-24.
  3. Web site: Multi-functional hall Arēna Rīga – Merks. SIA Merks. en-US. live. 2019-09-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160609142756/http://merks.lv:80/en/projekt/multi-functional-hall-arena-riga/ . 9 June 2016 .
  4. News: Hockey arena project in peril. Eglitis. Aaron. 8 April 2004. The Baltic Times. Riga, Latvia.