About the Arena

The strategic concept of the investor – city authorities, was that the “Belgrade Arena” becomes a key factor in enriching the total tourist offer of Belgrade, Serbia’s Capital, by continuously attracting large audiences to its contents and events. The geographical position of Belgrade has always placed it into the centre of all cultural and sports events in this part of Europe. As such, it serves perfectly for attracting the audience from all the surrounding countries, on the one hand, and presents a challenge for the most prominent artists and athletes to gather together at one single place the largest number of their fans, on the other hand.

The hall, consisting of six levels and boasts a well-structured local network. Everybody agreed that, after the model of US arenas of this type, Belgrade obtained a fantastic facility that opens up endless possiblities and that belongs among the very best of the world arenas. It is most often included among the three most beautiful halls in Europe: San Giorgio in Barcelona, Oaku in Athens, and Globen in Stockholm.

Those who have seen the sports hall in Prague say that it is the only match for the Arena in respect of its modern appearance, state-of-art equipment, excellent architectural solution, and, nowadays unavoidable, VIP boxes with all the elements that accompany a special form of luxury that is implicit to the today’s sports, entertainment and show business. When it comes to sports, Belgrade now has a facility of which it can be proud.

Construction history

In 1989, Belgrade was elected to host the World Basketball Championship 1994 provided the City builds a completely new sports hall. City authorities announced a competition for the best design of an Arena with 20,000 seat capacity. Vlada Slavica, architect, submitted the best design for the Arena in which it would be possible to hold congresses and fairs in addition to sports competition.

The building site was approved in 1991 - Block 25 in New Belgrade. However, certain problems had already begun to emerge. There were only 3 years to the World Championship and the construction of this great building had to be completed in record time. 

Construction began in 1992 and the Committee entered into a partner agreement with HOK, a US company with extensive experience in constructing sports facilities. But there came the hard times. After the first conflicts, which ultimately led to the disintegration of SFRY, the UN imposed sanctions to the remaining part of Yugoslavia and HOK abandoned the works on the Arena. However, despite everything, the construction works continued.

In 1993, Serbia went through the most challenging period in its modern history. Record high inflation was raging in the country and, because of the sanctions and warring that was going on, Belgrade was deprived of the right to organise the 1994 World Basketball Championship.

Construction works on the Arena continued, though at a much slower pace, due to the lack of construction materials until 1995, when the works completely stopped. They resumed in 1998 when the City was elected to host the 1999 World Table Tennis Championship. At that time, the roof of the hall had already got its final shape, a part of the façade was almost finished, and the interior was partially equipped. But Serbia again lost the right to organise a competition, this time due to the NATO bombing campaign that was undertaken in the year in which the championship should have taken place.

In 2000, after the change of government in Serbia and the lifting of all sanctions, construction works intensified and the sports arena was completed in 2004, in time to hold the Diamond Ball Tournament. Belgrade at last got the opportunity to organise a large competition and Belgrade Arena became the place where the European Basketball Championship was held in 2005.

About “Belgrade Arena”

“Belgrade Arena” became Belgrade’s trademark and one of the new symbols of the Serbian capital, as well as the place of interest for the visitors to our capital and the country. It is a facility that fully meets the latest standards and, together with the “Prague Arena”, it is at the highest technological level in Europe. This extraordinary building was the work of architect Vlada Slavica, and the investor was the Belgrade City Assembly Secretariat for Sports and Youth.

The Belgrade Arena complex consists of three units: a large hall, a small hall, and the parking space.

The large hall covers the area of 48 000 m2 and has six levels, the seating capacity of 20 000 - 25 000, depending on the event to be held.

The small hall covers the area of 2 275 m2 on two levels; the over-all dimensions of the hall are 30 x 60m and it serves as the ancillary facility that is used for athletes’ preparation and training. It was designed as the facility where the athletes can warm up and then, through the underground pedestrian walkway, under the road on the South, go to the large hall. The field in the small hall is 29.20m x 43.70m and the height of the hall is 10m. It is possible to divide it into two basketball fields (with wall mounted basketball hoops). With all its ancillary facilities (4 dressing-rooms, café bar, gym, reception desk, and 1 cargo lift connecting these two levels), it can operate as a completely independent unit.