Budapest Sports Aréna | |
 Budapest Sports Aréna in September 2016 | |
 Interactive map of László Papp Budapest Sports Arena | |
| Full name | Papp László Budapest Sportaréna |
|---|---|
| Location | Budapest,Hungary |
| Coordinates | 47°30′6.99″N19°6′19.41″E / 47.5019417°N 19.1053917°E /47.5019417; 19.1053917 |
| Operator | BSÜ Bouygues |
| Capacity | 11,390 (boxing) 12,000 (handball) 9,479 (ice hockey) 12,500 (concerts) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 30 June 2001 |
| Opened | 13 March 2003 |
| Architect | KÖZTI Sport Concepts |
| Tenants | |
| Hungary men's national ice hockey team | |
| Website | |
| budapestarena | |
TheLászló Papp Budapest Sports Arena (Hungarian:Papp László Budapest Sportaréna), also known asBudapest Sports Arena or locally justArena, is a multi-purpose indoorarena inBudapest,Hungary. It is the second biggest sports complex in the country afterMVM Dome, which is also in the capital, and it is named after Hungarian boxerLászló Papp. The venue can hold up to 12,500 people in its largest concert configuration, up to 11,390 forboxing and 9,479 forice hockey. It was built as a replacement for the Budapest Sports Hall (Hungarian:Budapest Sportcsarnok, orBS for short) which stood in the same place and was destroyed in a fire in December 1999. A long-distance bus station is situated under the building.
Construction of the arena began on 30 June 2001, after the original, the Budapest Sportcsarnok, built in 1982, burnt to the ground on 15 December 1999. The hall was finished quickly, within a year and a half, and the opening ceremony was held on 13 March 2003. Since 28 May 2004, the arena wears the name of Hungarian boxing greatLászló Papp and is officially known asPapp László Budapest Sports Arena.[1]
The building has a total weight of 200,000 tons and contains 50,000 tons of concrete, 2,300 tons of steel structure, more than 11,000,000 bolts and several kilometres of cable.[1]
The state-of-the-art multifunctional plaza is capable of hosting almost any sort of sporting or civic event, such as basketball, gymnastics, ice skating and ice hockey, and other athletics events. It can also host extreme or thrilling events likemonster trucks,motocross,jet-skiing orindoor wave surfing competitions.[2] The arena also is the top venue in the area for touring international musicians and performers, as well as dance recitals, operas, dramas,circuses, musicals and a variety of other special events.[2]
The first major international event held in the arena was the 2003IIHF World Championship Division I, in which the hosts finished third. Next year the2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships was organized in the hall between 5 and 7 March, followed by the final rounds and placement matches of the2004 European Women's Handball Championship in December. A year later, Budapest Sports Arena hosted the2005 World Wrestling Championships.
In 2007, the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation celebrated its 80th anniversary with a friendly match against defending Olympic and World champions Sweden, played at the arena. In a closely fought battle, Hungary finally triumphed 2–1 in overtime against the Scandinavians to the delight of their 8,000 fans.[3]
Starting from 2008, every year in the Budapest Sports Arena takes place the Tennis Classics, an exhibition tennis tournament with participation of former and current tennis aces. During the years, Budapest welcomed players likeStefan Edberg,Mats Wilander,Ivan Lendl orThomas Muster and reigning stars, such asRobin Söderling andTomáš Berdych.[4] In addition, beside theFőnix Hall in Debrecen, Budapest Sports Arena was the other host venue of the2010 UEFA Futsal Championship.[5]
Between 17 and 23 April 2011, the arena was the home of the2011 IIHF World Championship Division I. The event enjoyed particular attention by the fans throughout the week and the number of 8700 spectators that attended on the decisive last-round match between Hungary and Italy is close to equal to the figures produced by the top division World Championship final, held a week later in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Following the decision of the European Handball Federation Executive Committee, the organization rights of the2014 European Women's Handball Championship were awarded to Croatia and Hungary. Budapest Sports Arena was set to host the conclusive stage of the tournament, including the semifinals, the bronze medal match and final.[6][7]
The Final Four of theWomen's EHF Champions League has been annually taking place in the arena since 2014.[8]
The2017 World Judo Championships was also held in the Arena.
At the2022 European Men's Handball Championship and for the next main handball events in Hungary, the arena is replaced by theNew Budapest Arena.
The building is protected by severalfire safety systems. One of these is the protection alarm system, which in the event of a fire gives off the alarm within three seconds. The Budapest Sports Arena is also equipped with afire hydrant system that, in the case of a catastrophe, can be used at more than sixty positions in the building. Every point of the arena can be reached with the help of thefire hoses. As a unique feature in Hungary, the building also contains three high-output water cannons. All three are positioned in the auditorium protecting the area that caused the destruction of the arena's predecessor. The Arena also has numerousfire doors that automatically lock in the case of a fire, so preventing the further spreading of a fire.
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| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics Venue 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Women's Handball Championship Final venue 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FILA Wrestling World Championships Venue 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Judo Championships Venue 2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FILA Wrestling World Championships Venue 2013 | Succeeded by |
