New sports arena planned for Estonia

Image: Tallinn, Gunnar Bach Pedersen, Public Domain

The Estonian Olympic Committee (EOK) is checking out sites for a potential new 10,000 seat sports arena which would also be used to host concerts and other events.

Broadcaster ERR said both the national government and the Olympic sporting body are assessing potential locations and funding options.

A coalition agreement between the Reform Party and Eesti 200 includes the development of the venue, with gambling tax revenues intended to help finance the project.

The Suur-Sõjamäe rail freight yard in the Ülemiste district of Tallinn has been put forward as a possible location for the new venue.

The Suur-Sõjamäe freight rail yard is located just north of the Ülemiste City development and close to Tallinn Airport. The area will also host the Rail Baltica northern terminal, work on which is already underway.

Ministry of Culture Deputy Secretary General for Sports Raido Mitt told ERR that the Suur-Sõjamäe location is under consideration, though two other brownfield sites, the Paljassaare area on the Kopli peninsula, and Tondiraba, in Lasnamäe, are possible alternatives.

Mitt also would not rule out the arena being built in Tartu, instead, as championed by Eesti 200 MP Tanel Tein (Eesti 200).

Mitt said, “I am not saying that Tartu is completely out of the question as a location for the arena.

“However, no decisions have been made yet — preparations are currently underway for a time when it will be viable to initiate the project.

“We are mapping potential sites so that we are ready when the additional funding is known. However, one thing is a tax cut, and another thing is actual revenue.”

EOK representatives met with Mitt in August to discuss the options, after which Mitt wrote to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to inquire whether there were future plans for the Suur-Sõjamäe zone, and to sound out potentially reserving the site for the arena if not.

Mitt said the arena’s function would be “to host sporting events, concerts, fairs, and similar.”

EOK secretary general Kristo Tohver said that design work on the project could begin in 2027 at the earliest.

The EOK would lead the construction project, which could be completed before this decade is out if it went ahead.

The Estonian government provides financial and strategic support to improve facilities and promote sport at all levels.

The Ministry of Culture, through its Sports Sub-Secretariat, funds programmes that encourage physical activity, competitive sport and grassroots participation.

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